


Our Sutures

by teeceecee



Series: Blueprints and Watercolors [1]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Canon Divergence, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Love at First Sight, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, Team as Family, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Witty Dialogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-26
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-27 02:40:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 96,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2675891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teeceecee/pseuds/teeceecee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It should've been easy; artistic girl meets inventive boy, they fall in love, get married, maybe have two kids and live in a perfect, white picket fence reality... But things almost always never went the right way for either of them. "I'm pretty sure I didn't sign up for this when I agreed to be your girlfriend, Hamada!"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Meeting

The cafe was almost empty at this time of the day, the sky turning a dark inky blue, the coffee machines cooling as people started chilling and unwinding after a hard day. Soon, the crowd started to thin and Tadashi watched as customers exited out the door, trailing after them to pick up stray plates or cups of coffee. It was his duty tonight to clean up the cafe and close it as Aunt Cass was busy with the accounts and Hiro plainly stated he didn't want to move a finger, much to his brother's annoyance.

So, it was up to him. And he hated cleaning up.

Don't get him wrong, he loved working in the cafe to earn some extra tips and help out his aunt but his heart just wasn't in his duties today. It was in the floor below, in the garage where his work awaited him; where he could finally envision his prototype on paper: a nurse bot that he hope would start working soon.

He couldn't wait to get started.

Tadashi passed by a booth, only to notice that the last of the customers hadn't left yet. It was a girl, probably around his age. She was bent over a book, hands supporting her head, mass of dark hair obscuring her face and she didn't even look up when he approached her.

"Excuse me, we're about to close," he said.

The girl obviously didn't hear him, and he could see she was nodding her head, earbuds in place.

Tadashi sighed and walked up to her, tapping her shoulder.

She started and he felt bad for scaring her but he had to let her know that they were closing.

"Sorry, but it's closing time," he stated, gesturing at the almost empty cafe.

"Oh, wow, my bad," she replied, obviously flustered. She stood up, smoothing the front of her tank top as she removed her ear buds and picked up the heavy looking book. Tadashi noticed that the book was an art one, and judging from her paint splattered jeans, she seemed to be one of those art students that loved hanging out at the cafe after classes.

She walked past him, accidentally bumping his shoulder in the process. The girl cringed and dropped her book, pages spewing out and scattering on the floor.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she all but shrieked, bending down to pick up her stray pages.

"Here, let me help." Tadashi quickly set his tray on an adjacent table and bent down to help her. He picked up various pages full of charcoal drawings and sketches that immediately caught his eye.

He looked up to find her staring at him, faint blush dusting her cheeks.

Getting a good look at her face now, he couldn't help but be pinned to the spot by her eyes. They were the one thing that stood out from her face; a dark, stormy blue that offsetted her tan coloring. Her features were delicate, from the high bridge of her nose to the oval shape of her face, reminding him of a pixie.

"Um, can I have those back?" she asked.

He jerked back in surprise but nodded, handing her back the pages with an impish grin. "They're really pretty."

Just like your eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"Your art," he stated, matter-of-fact. He pointed at one of her drawings, a skyline of San Fransokyo completely done in pencil. "Almost life-like."

"Thanks," she replied shyly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Hey, you're Cass' nephew, aren't you?"

"Yup," Tadashi said, mildly surprise that she could tell.

"I'm new here, just moved in but I heard her wings are the best in town," the girl said, standing up. "I'm Ayako." She extended her hand, small smile etched on her lips.

"Tadashi," he replied, shaking her hand. Her hands were small, flecked with paint and soft to the touch. His cheeks warmed for no apparent reason, and he quickly let go of her hand. What was that all about?

"Well, nice to meet you Tadashi," Ayako said. "And sorry for keeping you here too long, I had no idea that the cafe was about to close."

"It's fine," he replied, smiling. "You seem pretty engrossed in your work and I hated to disturb you."

Ayako chuckled. "That's what people keep telling me," her expression changed into one of mock seriousness. "'Young lady, the world could blow up at any second and your nose would still be in your drawings.'"

Tadashi laughed at her expression, drawing out a smile from her.

"So, where do you go to?" she asked.

"What? Oh, I'm a robotics student at S.F.I.T," he replied, watching as something like awe flooded her features.

"Wow, really prestigious school. Am I in the presence of a super genius?"

He shook his head, although he was secretly pleased by her compliment. "Nah, just plain old me."

"I would beg to differ," Ayako stated.

Tadashi didn't know what to make with her words so he decided to change the subject. "How about you?"

"Art Institute," she replied. "Graphic designing."

"That's great," he said. "Since you're so good at art."

She waved his compliment off, shrugging. "It's not much but it's something that I love doing."

"True, what's the point of doing something that you don't have a passion for?" He meant that in the truest sense. Nobody would survive doing what they hated for the rest of their lives.

"So, you have a passion for robotics?" she asked, interested.

Tadashi nodded, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Made that pretty obvious, huh?"

"Invented anything?"

"Tons," he replied with a bright smile. He gestured to the coffee machine at the back of the cafe.

"Me and my brother designed that few years back. It really helped speed up coffee making to a whole new level."

"Whoa," she gaped. "Color me impress, that's actually really...creative."

A sudden thought overcame him and he didn't know what made him do it but she truly did seem intrigued and he couldn't resist inviting her to have a look at some of his other inventions. "Do you want to see them?"

Her brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, but see what?"

"My inventions," he continued, fazed by his own sudden change in the topic. "You know, just for the heck of it."

Ayako blinked, as if she didn't expect his invitation. "Sure," she replied enthusiastically. "But don't get mad when I can't recognize anything because, hey, art students don't really wield blowtorches much unless it's to burn a sculpture," the petite girl joked.

Tadashi nodded. "Of course not. Besides, if you were to tell me any art techniques besides coloring within the lines, I'll probably be pretty clueless too."

"Aha, a leverage!" she teased. "Just joking. But hey, maybe I might inspire your next invention if you take a look at my gallery."

The young inventor grinned, extending his hand. "It's a deal."

She shook it, echoing his words. Ayako spared him one last smile before she turned and walked out of the cafe, the bell above jingling merrily as the door swung shut.

Tadashi found himself still smiling even though the cafe was empty of her presence.

"Now, that was cute."

He startled and turned around to find Aunt Cass giving him a dreamy smile from her place behind the pastry display.

"Auntie," Tadashi said, flustered. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough," she replied, before gesturing to the door. "She's quite pretty."

Tadashi didn't disagree with her. "She's an art student from the nearby art institute."

"Aww," Aunt Cass cooed. "An artistic type – my favorite!"

"Yeah," he said and his cheeks heated up again. "She seemed pretty impressed with the coffee machine Hiro and I made so I invited her to come over and take a look at my other inventions."

"That's sweet," Cass replied with a wide smile. It warmed her heart to see how flustered her nephew was.

"Did you take down her phone number to arrange more of the plans?"

Tadashi's brown eyes widened. Throughout their conversation he hadn't even thought of taking down her number. How could he forget about that?

"Uh, n-no."

Cass was surprised. "She shouldn't have gone far; why don't you catch up to her?"

He wasted no more time, rushing towards the door.

"Sweetie," Aunt Cass called and Tadashi turned to face her impatiently. "Your apron."

He looked down and almost smacked his forehead when he remembered that he still had on his apron. The young man untangled the ties and threw the apron on the nearest table before heading out into the balmy night.

The streets weren't full but there was no sight of a tiny girl with paint splattered jeans.

He sighed, leaning against the cafe wall. Some genius he was, forgetting to write down the number of a really cute girl that he wouldn't mind meeting again.

His hands grasped the window sill, recoiling when they felt something crinkly and paper thin on the surface. Tadashi looked down and found a folded square of paper tucked into the metal pane, just under his left palm.

He picked it up, thinking it was somebody's long forgotten grocery list. Smoothing it with his palm, he was surprised to find that it was a drawing of San Fransokyo's skyline, and underneath it, a series of numbers were written along with the bashful words of, "dammit, I forgot to give you my number! Call me if our plans are still on!"

Tadashi grinned and pocketed the piece of paper, heading back into the cafe.

"Well, did you see her?" Aunt Cass asked, the anxiousness written on her face.

"No, but she left me her number anyway," he replied mildly, showing her the bundled piece of paper.

"Oh, that's so sweet! And she even drew on it."

The young man flushed at his aunt's enthusiasm and continued with his work.

The paper weighed in his pocket like a brick and he thought over their meeting. The anxiety and excitement followed him around and settled in his chest, long after he had finished cleaning and closing the cafe.

He walked up the stairs to find his brother still up, reading a book. Tadashi knew that Hiro was trying to fool him into thinking he wasn't tinkering with his robots but he decided to let it go, perusing his books to find the right material for his blueprints.

"Hey," Hiro said. "What's got you all quiet all of the sudden?"

"What? Miss me lecturing you on the importance of not building a robot in bed because of loose sharp objects?" Tadashi inquired, sparing a side-long glance at his brother.

Hiro, for his part, didn't even seem fazed by his brother's subtle accusation. "You're too calm... so chill."

"Can't I not take a break once in awhile?" the older Hamada replied, settling on some books that he would bring with him down to the garage.

"You're going to work on that super-secret-invention-that-the-world-can't-know-off?" Hiro asked somewhat sarcastically.

"Oh, come on now bro. You know you're the first person I'll show it to," Tadashi replied, trying to placate his brother.

"Fine," the younger brother said in a sigh. "Just so you know, since you'll be staying up late, I will too."

"Absolutely not," Tadashi said, indignant. "Go to sleep, you have school tomorrow."

"Really? Cause I vaguely remember that you're a student too, you know."

His older brother snorted. "I don't have any classes tomorrow so I'm good."

Hiro rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Go to sleep, okay?" Tadashi said over the armful of books he was carrying. "I'll be back later."

His younger brother gave a noncommittal sound which left him in little doubt that Hiro would be up all night building his robots, safety hazard or not.

~~O~~O~~

Ayako couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she walked back home, the orange street light her only company in a world that was already settling for the night.

She was bubbling with enthusiasm, not even imagining that the cute guy would ever notice her, since he was either engross in a book or his work whenever she visited the cafe. It wasn't as if she were a stalker - far from that...she hoped - but one of the reasons why she often frequented that cafe was just to get a glimpse of him, being the really hot waiter and all that.

The art student grinned, hoping that he got her message and managed to find her number.

Such was the happy thought of tonight that she did not even mind reaching home to find her mother waiting up for her, perpetual frown in place.

"Ayako, where have you been?" her mother asked in a harangued tone.

"At the Lucky Cat Cafe, just like I told you," she replied, setting down her book on the table along with her beaded purse.

"This late? And why didn't you call to update me that you were going to be late?"

"I lost track of the time," she said with a shrug. "Sorry."

Her mother's eyes traveled from her to the book. "You were busy with your drawings again?"

"I do have an assignment coming up and I needed the inspiration."

She sighed, and Ayako knew what was coming up even before her mother could start.

"This route you're choosing... are you sure you would be able to sustain your life only working as an artist?"

The young woman lifted her shoulders up in response. "We'll see about that in a few years time."

"Ayako-"

"I'm not having this conversation again, mom," she said and walked down her hall to her room, happy mood dissipated. She had seriously underestimated her mother's ability to make her feel as tiny as an ant.

The petite girl picked up her book and wearily sat on her mess of a bed, pushing away clothes and papers. She turned to a set of tiny speakers that her father had gotten for her fifteenth birthday. Hooking it to her music player, she let the sounds drift out, not caring that it was almost eleven in the night, only wanting to lose herself in her own thoughts.


	2. In The Best Way

Tadashi finalized the plans and laid them all out like a spread of cards, going over them once more. The draft for the nurse bot was coming up fine, and he had managed to decide what the robot would specialize in once it was built. All he had to do was look at a picture of his parents, in a photo frame on his desk and knew that he wanted a robot that would help people and be attentive to their health.

After all, it was due to a lack of care that got his parents killed in a car accident.

He sighed heavily, rubbing his tired eyes. No, he didn't want to go down that path again, that path of remembering and returning to old wounds that he was so sure had healed.

Instead, he felt in his pocket for the scrunched up piece of paper, unfurling it and rereading the words again. The numbers formed like a row of soldiers in his mind, crystal clear and as easy to remember as the various physic laws. Tadashi wanted to feel mortification that he had already memorized her number but the feeling never came.

He placed the paper on his desk, admiring the skyline of San Fransokyo made out of charcoal with a bemused grin. That girl could really draw and he would make sure to tell her that she even got the details of the bridge right.

Then the anxiety came, slow like burning acid in his chest. When should he wait to call her? Should he do it tomorrow? Wait for another three more days? What if she thought he was coming on a little too strong?

 _Get a grip, Hamada,_  he scolded.  _Take a deep breath and start thinking straight._

He followed his thoughts and inhaled in a huge breath, the scent of burnt metal and oiling solvent filling his lungs. There, all better.

Now, he could call her tomorrow, that would be the perfectly normal response.

 _See?_  He reasoned with himself.  _There was no need to get all antsy._

Or maybe he should call in three days time, just in case.

Damn it.

~~O~~O~~

Ayako woke up the next morning to the buzzing of her alarm, reaching out a hand to quiet the annoying device. She pushed the clock off from her shelf instead and it fell to the floor with a loud clang, startling her.

The clock still kept up its incessant ringing and she groaned loudly before peeling herself from the warm covers, reaching down and silencing the annoying buzz.

She yawned and stretched, hearing her muscles pop in protest. She then went with her daily routine, pulling open the curtains and allowing light to spill into her perpetually messy room.

She eyed the mess with a narrowed glare, picking up the clothes strewn on the floor and sorting them according to various levels of wear-ability... mostly judging by the smell of it.

Her mother had once said that she could leave clean clothes among the dirty ones and Ayako wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them.

The young woman grimaced and quickly picked up everything from the floor, less she gave her mother more fuel to start nagging before breakfast started.

She picked up her backpack and pinned her hair in place, getting ready for college. Once dressed and at least presentable to the public, she headed down for breakfast, the house surprisingly but peacefully quiet.

It was on days like this that Ayako could let her guard down and just enjoy the tranquil that came with having her mother out of the house. Most normal people would be aghast at her train of thought, but she and her mother never did have a normal relationship anyway.

She finished her small breakfast of jam and toast, convinced that today would just be an ordinary day with nothing to do but hang out with her friends and return home to finish her assignments.

A small part of her harbored hope that Tadashi would call her today, but a quick glance at her phone told her she had no missed calls. She worried her lower lip, mind plagued with thoughts from yesterday.

What if he thought she was too much of a weirdo? She  _had_  practically tossed her book in the air from a mere shoulder bump.

Her head fell to the table with a  _thump_  as she groaned. Damn. She sure knew how to make a great first impression on cute guys.

 _Whatever,_  she thought, shaking her head free from those thoughts and tossing her phone into the backpack. The ball was in his court now and he could call whenever he wanted.

~~O~~O~~

His day was spent being stuck down the lab, tools strewn around as he eyed his carefully calibrated plans. He had already eaten and wished Hiro a good day in school before he went to spend his class-free day down in their makeshift lab, concentrating on trying to get the first test right.

The skeleton of the robot was looking good and Tadashi wanted to get the mobility's swiftness tested just before lunch. As of now, he wanted to focus on how to settle the storage of medicine in the nurse bot.

Tadashi took a step back, hand under his chin as he contemplated the composition of the robot's arms. Something hard came into contact with his foot and he looked down to find a screwdriver, sharp tip poised dangerously near his bare foot.

He yelped and moved back, picking the offensive tool up.

The young inventor knew he had a tendency to mess up the lab when he was working, but the whole place just looked like a tornado had hit. Setting his plans aside, he cleaned up the lab, picking up the tools and placing them back in their original position.

His eyes skimmed over his desk and caught sight of the numbers, blinking prominently in his line of vision and he pondered for a moment: should he call her tonight? Invite her over for later?

Tadashi shook his head, returning his mind to the task at hand. Never mind, there was always a time and a place to figure all these things out later.

~~O~~O~~

The music blared from her speakers and Ayako hummed along to the thumping bass as she shaded in some shadows on a drawn maple leave for her traditional art course. The artist was sitting by her desk, enjoying the sunlight warming her face, and the serenity of being alone with her music.

Her eyes were carefully trained on the design, erasing and correcting along as she went.

She would've completely missed the ringing of her phone if the music hadn't finished.

Ayako didn't bother to look at the caller ID, teeth chewing on the inside of her lip as she stared at the drawing from her vantage point.

"Hello?" she murmured distractedly.

"Hey, Ayako?"

Her head jerked up and she quickly set the music down low. "Hey, Tadashi."

"Hi," he said and gave a small laugh that sounded incredibly adorable. "Did I call at a bad time?"

"What? No, no," she hastily replied, shaking her head at the turn of her thoughts. "I was just finishing some course work."

"Oh, cool," he said and she didn't know whether he meant that. What could be so amazing about doing college work? "You had classes today?"

"Yup. You?"

"A free day," he said and she could picture him wearing a small smile.

"Lucky pig," she snorted before amending herself. "Um, not saying that you're really a pig - it's just an expression. Although a pretty rude one and - wait, I had a point."

"Oh-kay," he said in amusement. "Listen, about our plans-"

"Oh, sure. I meant, yeah, continue."

 _Shut up, shut up!_  Her brain screamed at her and she could feel the tips of her ears burning hot in embarrassment.  _Smooth Sorokin. Real smooth referring to a cute guy as an expression of a lucky pig._

"I was thinking – would you like to come over in the evening? You know, for our plans."

He said it with such bashfulness that Ayako had no doubt his face was as red as hers. Thank goodness they were speaking over a phone.

"S-Sure," she stuttered. "I would love to."

"Yeah?" he said and there was no mistaking the happiness in his voice. "Cool, I'll see you tonight then?"

"Yeah, see you when I see you," she echoed and clicked the phone shut.

Ayako couldn't help the small squeal that escaped her mouth as she hugged herself in excitement.

Maybe he wouldn't think she was much of a dork now since he actually called... she hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter was a fun read and the next one should focus more on their deal and work. Warning: tons of awkwardness and blushing teenagers in the next chapter.
> 
> Tell me what you think?


	3. If We Meet

Mercifully, Tadashi wasn't on duty today. He had a feeling that if he was, he would have a hard time keeping his attention on the customers as it would be wondering to a certain young woman with paint flecked hands.

Instead, he was hanging at the back of the cafe, trying to get his mind in a book while keeping one eye on the door. The number of customers today were at the minimum and for that, he was relieved. He knew, nephew or not, Aunt Cass would put him on serving duty if the cafe was full and she felt overwhelmed by the amount of people she would have to serve.

He took a deep breath and adjusted the bill of his cap for the thousandth time, a nervous tick whenever he was anxious.

The bell chimed and he looked up, expecting her but it was just another customer. He sighed, looking around for his aunt but finding her nowhere in sight. She must've been busy behind the kitchens with another order.

He placed his book down and walked towards the man who was standing by the counter, squinting up at the overhead menu.

"Hello and welcome to the Lucky Cat Cafe," he said, adopting a polite tone. "What may I get you?"

The man jerked back as if he had not noticed him and stated that he would have a simple cafe  _au lait_  and muffin. Tadashi took his order and ringed the cashier, before sending it to his aunt.

"Okay, thanks sweetie!" Aunt Cass said, barely looking up at him as she sprinkled some salt in a bowl of mushroom soup.

Tadashi turned back to the man, calculated his cost and accepted the money. "Your order will be ready in a few minutes."

He busied himself in preparing the muffin, not at all hearing the bell chime.

"Hey, one cup of coffee and a bagel, please," another voice spoke.

"Sure, coming right up," he chirped, looking to the newest customer. His eyebrows shot up and a smile grew across his lips.

"Ayako."

"Hey, you," she replied, beaming and adjusting the strap of her beaded purse. "Did I arrive at a wrong time?"

"No, no," he hastily said, setting the food down and accepting the cup of coffee from his aunt who - thankfully - had not noticed the additional company. The man took his order with a grunted 'thanks' and walked away, leaving them alone with each other.

He left his position behind the counter and came to stand in front of her. Tadashi noticed that she was wearing her hair up today, in a simple ponytail. She had on a skirt, something crocheted and black, complete with a brown tank top and sandals. He wondered how did she didn't feel cold as the weather was getting progressively windier and chillier now that September was almost on them.

"How are you?" he asked amicably.

"Fine," she replied, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "How about you?"

"Bored," he quipped. "But now that you're here..." He trailed off, giving her a teasing smile.

She placed a hand on her chest, as if she were taken aback. Her expression was one of mock surprise and delight. "Why,  _me?_ "

"Yes, you," Tadashi replied in all honesty. He gestured to the door leading down to the basement. "Shall we?"

"Yeah," Ayako said, sparing him a side glance. "Down to the robotic rabbit hole we go."

~~O~~O~~

The moment she saw him, she felt the breath go out of her all at once. He was dressed in a simple red ninjas t-shirt and brown jeans that folded at his ankles but it still made her think he should belong on a runway. Nope, he definitely could belong on a runway.

Yes, that's it, maybe she was just projecting her model fantasies on the poor boy.

She followed him down the basement, and he turned back, sparing her a look before pushing the door open. An empty corridor greeted her and she he flipped a switch, white light illuminating the dark area. He let her enter first before closing the door with a sharp click.

"Now, doesn't this make me think of a horror movie," she stated, making way for him to go first. Surprisingly, the area was pretty clean and dust-free for an underground lair.

Tadashi chuckled and said, "no, don't worry, we keep the weird stuff upstairs so its more of a lab and not a lair," as if he had read her thoughts. She couldn't help the smile that grew on her face.

He brought her to the end of the lab and switched on another set of lights, this one lighting up the space beyond the room.

Dark blue eyes glinted in surprise.

If she would have the chance to meet Iron Man and get even the smallest opportunity to look into his work space, it would probably look something like this.

Warning signs hung on the walls, a line of caution tape separating the outside corridor from the lab. A large screen computer took up the middle of the room, with machinery that she had no names for piling up around it. There appeared to be something like a huge 3D printer on one side of the space, with a holographic platform beside it running vitals for one project or another.

Everthing around her was all in chaotic order but somehow had a system to it.

"Wow."

Tadashi beamed in pride at the awe on her face and he stalked in, pulling her by the wrist. His touch brought her out of her reverie and she looked to find him gesturing for her to enter.

She did so tentatively, senses trying to take in everything all at once; the smell of burnt metal, the chime of updates, the bubbling of some chemical brewing in the lab's own chemistry section.

Ayako could only comprehend one thing at a time, not believing that such a thing were able to exist under a cafe slash bakery.

"My aunt allowed us to convert the basement to a lab so that we had someplace to store all our creations," Tadashi explained. "As you can see, it kind of accumulated over the years and not everything's in order but-"

He was starting to ramble, embarrassed for the mess she had to see and how he should've thought of cleaning up the place before she got here.

He had never brought anyone else down here besides Hiro and his college friends and he was more than nervous to see how she would react.

But Ayako didn't show any negative reaction, looking genuinely awed and intrigued as her gaze swept the area again.

A giggle stopped him and he looked to find her grinning, eyes twinkling in mirth.

"Oh please," she all but snorted. "This place is probably cleaner than my room  _and_  gallery combined."

"Look, you even have a gaming console here."

"Yeah," Tadashi said, "for when Hiro or I get bored and we challenge each other to a game of racing."

"Sweet," she replied appreciatively.

"Come on, you haven't seen all our creations lined up," he said and gestured to her to follow. She did, mindful of where she stepped so that she didn't cut a hole into her shoe from a stray sharp screw or something equally as pointed.

A line of shelved inventions adorned the empty wall and she found herself genuinely amused at the sight. It was all robots, every single one of them.

"These are all the inventions that Aunt Cass documented while we were growing up," Tadashi explained. He pointed to something that resembled a snooker ball but with robotic limbs.

"I invented that for her on Mother's Day," he said and lifted up the old invention. "It was suppose to give her a flower but the mechanical arms kept on dropping it... she loved it anyway."

"Aww." Ayako's heart skipped a beat at the thought of a young Tadashi giving his aunt a gift using his talents. "That's super sweet."

She caught sight of one that looked like a walking television. "What does that one do?"

Tadashi's cheeks warmed, the color contrasting with his pale skin and she wondered what she had said to evoke such a reaction.

"Promise me not to laugh?"

A million reasons of why she should laugh came into mind but she just nodded, mashing her lips together to keep from smiling.

"I invented that because... I got bored in the bathroom and wanted to bring my TV along for... the much more  _longer_  rituals." He ran a hand through his hair, looking sheepish.

Ayako blinked and for a moment and Tadashi's expression changed as if he knew she were about to laugh at him.

But she only broke the silence and said, "that's brilliant. So, bloody brilliant."

He perked up. "Really? You don't find it weird."

"I would find it ever weirder if you didn't think of inventing that," she stated, giving him a cheeky smile. "Seriously beats the boredom and hey, you're a smart guy, I should've expected that."

He shrugged, mirroring her expression. "Not really."

~~O~~O~~

The light in his eyes that came from explaining his passion completely enraptured her, never mind that she could barely understand what he was saying.

"...And it runs on kinetic energy generated from the cross cutting power  _double_  the speed of light, creating a separate unit of energy all together..."

She was trying to keep up, but Tadashi might as well have been saying, "Ghaihdiw baujdwih neucihcnei," for all she could comprehend.

"...And that's how the I discovered that there was a sub-particle within a sub-particle."

He looked at her expectantly and she shrugged.

"That's pretty..." she trailed off.

"Amazing?" he prompted.

"Yeah," she replied, nodding enthusiastically. "Pretty amazing."

Although she had no idea what he was talking about half of the time, just the look of excitement that lighted his expression made her want to listen. He had the look of a child just discovering how the world worked and it was honestly so endearing that she wished she had a sketchbook and pencil just to capture the wonder in his eyes.

"Hey, you want a soda or something?" he inquired, pulling her out of her reverie.

"Sure," she chirped, feeling the need for something sugary and carbon based to calm her nerves. She didn't want to let him know that she had just spent the last five minutes gazing at him and wondering if she could replicate the planes of his jaw on a piece of paper.

_Pull yourself together, woman, yikes. Tone down the creep factor a little_.

"Stay right here and I'll be back," he said as he ventured back out into the corridor and up the stairs to the cafe.

She stayed put just as he mentioned, trailing her gaze over his work once more. When he had mentioned going to the prestigious S.F.I.T, she had imagined him just being a regular student there, maybe inventing car frames or something equally as normal.

But his inventions were outer-worldly, proving that he had a brilliant mind that wasn't conventional in the least. And in some way, she really liked that.

He returned a moment later with lukewarm sodas, grinning as he showed her how one of his inventions – something that looked like a small refrigerator – chilled the drinks to a perfect, refreshing temperature.

Ayako lifted a brow in surprise and accepted the drink. "Okay, that's it. I'm hiring you to be my kitchen designer in the future, no questions asked."

He chuckled and rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

~~O~~O~~

Tadashi stood at the cafe's threshold, gaze fixed on her. Ayako had seemed pretty interested in his work and he hoped that he hadn't bored her too much.

"Hey, I'm sorry if that wasn't really interesting," he apologized.

She shrugged, delicate shoulders rising. Everything about her delicate, like the human version of a lace doily, down to her dainty wrist bones as she reached out and flicked the bill of his cap.

"The sodas more than made up for it," she replied teasingly. He chuckled and caught her hand in his, a reaction that completely stunned him as he quickly let go.

The silence fell, thick and awkward and he was about to apologize again when she giggled, sparing him from a potentially cringe-worthy situation.

"It really was amazing, Tadashi," she said and he didn't doubt the honesty in her tone. "I had a lot of fun and yeah, you got me going 'huh?' on some stuff but the rest were pretty hardcore."

"No joke?" he said, quirking an eyebrow.

"No joke," she replied, smiling. "Maybe next time, just show me the cool stuff that makes the food instead."

His heart sped up, and again he wondered what had gotten to him. It seemed like everything she said and did suddenly made his senses hyper-aware, his heart singing loudly in his chest and ears trained to pick up even the slightest hint of subtext.

"You're saying that there's gonna be a 'next time'?"

He hoped he didn't sound too eager.

She nodded, fiddling with the strap of her purse. "Yeah." She then teased, "besides, I haven't got the chance to make you go 'huh?' yet so there's that."

Tadashi grinned. "I'm holding you to that promise."

"Cool," she replied and gave him a small smile. "See you when I see you?"

"See you when I see you," he echoed, watching as she turned around and headed out into the night, noting the orange streetlights leaving streaks in her glossy, black hair.

"Hey, wait!"

She stopped, turning around to stare at him expectantly.

He felt his throat go dry and had to force himself to speak the words, hoping that she didn't think he was starting to come off too strong again.

"Are you free next week?"

"Next week when?"

"Um..." Come on, come on, think of a random day,  _any_ day.

"Wednesday," he blurted out. "Want to come over on Wednesday?"

He internally winced at his words, chastising himself.  _Could you be_ any _more of a dork, Hamada?_

Ayako looked thoughtful before she replied, "Okay, I'll give you a call then."

Tadashi felt himself relaxing as he gave her a small grin. "I look forward to it."

He headed back into the cafe, convincing himself to not look back at her because – damn it, it might give it away how eager he was. And he didn't want to unintentionally scare her away.

The door closed behind him, the bell jingling merrily. A warm smile made its way on his face and he ventured back up to his room, thankfully finding the house empty now that his aunt was probably getting ready for bed.

"Hey,  _nii-chan._ "

He was pulled out of his reverie, barely even noticing that he had made the climb up to his room.

"Oh, hey Hiro," he said, grinning widely.

Hiro's eyes widened with apprehension. "Somebody seems really happy today."

Tadashi hummed and shrugged. He looked at the time, and even though it was already past eleven, he wondered if he could squeeze some extra hours into working on Baymax. He hadn't meant to get distracted, but talking with Ayako seemed to have that effect on him now.

"You're heading back down again?"

He paused from choosing some books and turned to his brother, exercising caution in his reactions.

"Yeah," Tadashi replied, scrutinizing Hiro's expression, "Is that okay?"

Hiro sighed. "Why wouldn't it be?"

His brother's despondent mood instantly concerned him and he went to sit next to his messy haired  _otouto_.

"Is everything okay?"

The younger Hamada nodded, although the look in his eyes told a different story. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, it's just..."

"Just?" Tadashi prompted.

"It's just I haven't seen you for the whole day and now you're heading back down and... yeah, I just haven't seen you the whole day."

Oh. It occurred to him then that Hiro's words rang true and a bout of guilt settled in his stomach.

"I'm sorry," he said and really meant it. He had no intention of accidentally forgetting to spend time with his brother; he had just gotten distracted.

Hiro shrugged, refusing to look at him. "S'okay, you can continue with your work. I don't mind."

But Tadashi knew he would so he sighed, setting the books down.

"How about you and me head down and try to sneak some ice cream from the freezer, okay?"

His brother perked up, disbelief written over his face. "You serious?"

"Deadly," Tadashi replied, grinning.

He stood up, grin turning mischievous.

"Last one down the stairs will have to scoop up ice cream for the winner," he crowed and took off for the steps. He heard Hiro's indignant yelp and the pattering of his brother's feet as he tried to catch up with him.

Tadashi intentionally slowed down and let his brother overtake him, ambling down the steps to find Hiro lifting the ice cream scoop triumphantly.

"Why bro, looks like you're on scooping duty tonight," Hiro remarked.

Tadashi gave an exaggerated sigh. "Oh bother, I always lose."

~~O~~O~~

A spring in her step came from nowhere and she giggled to herself, walking up the steps to her tiny apartment. Her mother had always said to be careful when walking past the dark alcoves as strange men could be there to grab her at any time. But today, she felt invincible, thinking that nobody could harm her as long as she had that small flame burning in her chest.

The flame that he had accidentally ignited without his knowledge.

Her mind replayed the meeting, and she realized with a triumphant sort of glee that he had asked her to meet again, despite the fact that their meeting had been nothing but an introduction to his work.

They had steered clear from personal questions and she wondered if it was because he didn't exactly want to be friends with her. Although, his friendly persona and the ease of their conversations made her think otherwise. If they weren't friends, then what were they?

Ayako thought it over and gave a mental shrug. She would be cool with acquaintances for now.

Opening the door to her apartment, she paused, thinking it was empty. Her mother was probably out to dinner on her own since she stated she wouldn't be home till eleven and, with a guilty tug in her heart, Ayako realized that she hadn't called her mom up to update on her whereabouts.

In the young woman's defense, she was completely distracted. And no, not in the explicit way, she thought, wondering how to make such a statement sound less scandalous if spoken aloud.

No luck. Distracted would be the way to go.

"Ayako," a voice called from the kitchen, causing the young woman to freeze in fear. She relaxed when she realized it was just her mom.

"God, mom, I thought you were out. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

The short, Japanese woman came out in an apron, wiping her hands down, black hair pulled up in a strict bun. "You're finally home."

"Yeah," she replied, shrugging.

"Where have you been?" her mother asked, scrutinizing her.

Ayako replied in a carefully neutral voice. "At the Lucky Cat Cafe. Studying for a paper."

"Studying?" she said with a frown. "What could be so hard about art that it needs studying?"

Her mother's voice rang bluntly, pulling with it the happiness she felt today. Her walls instantly came up, in defense to the older woman's slight.

"There are different techniques, mom," she replied, placing her purse on the table.

Her mother removed her coat from the table, ID card stating 'Masaki Ito' shining under the overhead light. Ayako frowned, the memory of the hardship after her mother had to go through during her messy divorce with her dad to reclaim her maiden name still fresh in her mind.

She could remember her mother pacing worriedly around the room in just her bathrobe, short bursts of anger leaking through her tone as she reasoned with the employees at the national identity center, desperate to drop any last reminder of Ayako's dad from her life.

Ayako had even been given the choice to drop her father's name and take her mother's but she flat out refused. People could talk all they want but she was still her father's daughter.

Even if said father hadn't contacted her for nearly two years after the divorce.

She sighed, and her mother bustled back into the kitchen, unaware of the turmoil in her daughter's mind.

"I'm making something for tomorrow." She peeked her head behind the wall to glance at her daughter. "You know, for your lunch?"

Ayako shook out her memories and spared her mother a smile. "Sure. Thanks, mom."

Before she could venture into her room, her mother stopped her again.

"Oh, and Ayako?"

"Yeah?" she called, backtracking to the kitchen once more.

"Next time, call me and tell me where you're heading, please. I don't like being left in the dark when you venture all on your own outside." Ayako would've ignored her mother's words but the distressed look in her eyes made her hold her tongue.

"Okay, mom," she said with a defeated sigh. "I will. And I'm sorry for not updating you on where I was."

That seemed to have satisfied her mother and the older woman nodded, heading back to her work.

Ayako trudged sluggishly to the sanctuary that was her room, closing the door behind with a gentle click.

She didn't even wish her mother 'goodnight'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. That happened for the both of them.
> 
> Tell me what you think?


	4. Budding Thoughts

Tadashi pondered on the latest diagram for Baymax, scrubbing his tired eyes. So far, his idea seemed to be solidifying perfectly, and if everything were to go to plan, Baymax would be operational in a few weeks.

He glanced at the carbon fiber skeleton with a fond smile. The young man walked up to the robot and patted the top of its head.

"You're gonna work perfectly, buddy," he said, goofy smile growing. "I just know it."

He felt lighthearted today, as if everything was in place and could not get any better. He glanced at the computer screen, noting the GPS trackers that he placed on Hiro were blinking a comforting green within the vicinity of the cafe.

His brother's graduation was coming up in a few days and Hiro, naturally, was elected valedictorian and would be giving a speech on the big day. Tadashi didn't even hide his smile of pride when he received the news from Aunt Cass.

His baby brother was finally going to graduate high school, and with luck, use his talents for the bettermen of the world. Tadashi could barely keep the excitement in and he wanted to head back home to congratulate his brother.

Tadashi closed the lab down, switching off the lights and placing Baymax's spare parts in a separate cardboard box. He threw a cloth over the unfinished skeleton of the nurse bot, heading out of the lab and shutting the door behind him, hearing the automatic lock click in place.

He walked with a lightness in his step and even hummed a tune under his breath as he headed for the college car park.

Tadashi made his way back home, just in time to see the street lights switch on for the evening. He entered the house and was greeted by the smell of chicken wings baking. Aunt Cass was probably whipping up some of her famous hot wings in celebration of tonight's news.

He walked up the steps, calling out a greeting to his aunt who called back a warm hello from the kitchen.

The steps creaked as he made his way to their room, finding Hiro sitting on his bed, relaxing on the sheets as he perused a comic book. Normally, Tadashi would ask him if his homework was done or if he had completed his chores but he decided that tonight, the young boy deserved a break.

"Hey, look who became the school's valedictorian," Tadashi teased, sitting himself at the edge of his brother's bed.

Hiro looked up at him with a wide smile. "Yeah. It was a surprise."

Tadashi snorted. "Please. Your grades are perfect, there was no doubt about it."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to be humble here," Hiro replied with a smirk.

The older Hamada grinned. "Humble doesn't really suit you, bro."

Hiro shrugged, grinning cheekily. "Don't say I didn't try."

Tadashi chuckled and ruffled his brother's mused hair. "Anyway, congratulations." His expression was sincere, open when he said, "I'm so proud of you, you know that?"

His younger brother fidgeted but nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

Tadashi grinned and stood up from the bed, heading to his part of the room.

"Oh, and you had a text message today," Hiro remarked, returning back to his comic book. "Just heard it beep on your device."

The young man's heart rate picked up slightly, something like a bird soaring in his chest. Could it be her? Maybe he could break the good news to her.

He knew that Ayako and him had never shared anything particularly personal on their first meeting when he introduced his line of work to her, but he harbored hopes to get pass that. After all, she did seem like a pretty interesting girl and he definitely wanted to know more about her.

~~O~~O~~

Today, she decided, was a good day.

Ayako had awoken with a light feeling in her heart and a spring in her step as she prepared for a day of classes. The young woman had no idea what could've caused this emotion but she happily went along with it, switching on her music device and connecting it to the speakers as the mellow tunes and happy beats filled the room with sweet-sounding melodies.

After getting ready, she headed down to the Art Institute, humming a song under her breath as she approached the sprawling campus. The sunshine was warm on her face, like a gentle caress and her books weighed next to nothing as she clutched them close to her chest.

She felt like someone had placed high definition glasses over her life; everything was suddenly more brighter and louder. The colors on the leaves that were beginning to turn brown were more vivid, the birdsong was twice as euphonious and even the air seemed sweeter somehow than it was before.

Her friends had also begun to notice the change in her attitude, judging from their curious stares.

"What's got you all hyped up?" Her best friend asked casually as they were seated next to each other during traditional art class. Ayako looked up from the drawing that she had been sketching absentmindedly.

"You said something?" she asked. Her friend – a tall red head by the name of Lucy – smirked and gestured to her, as if she already had her answer.

"Exactly. You seem pretty out of it today."

Ayako shook her head, smiling. "Don't know what you're talking about. I feel fine."

"Oh, sure you look fine. In fact, more happier than usual."

"And is that a problem?" she asked, eyebrow raised as she studied her friend. Lucy shook her head, toying with her red plait.

"God no, it's a nice change, really."

Ayako snorted.

"But just wondering what caused the change."

"What?" she asked, all innocent. "Can't I be gloriously happy for once."

Lucy stifled a laugh, eyes twinkling mischievously. "Okay, spill."

Ayako spread her hands, as if to say, 'what do you mean?'

"Did your mom stopped nagging?" Lucy was well aware of her mother's disapproval and on any other day, she would just roll her eyes and spout something that went along the lines of 'after hell freezes over'. But today, she just shrugged, and this might've alerted Lucy that something was up more than her breezy attitude.

"Then? Come on, you can tell me anything," she prompted. Lucy placed her pencil down, glancing surreptitiously at their lecturer, hopping that the eccentric Professor Kipton wouldn't catch them gossiping in his class.

Ayako pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. "Told you, it was nothing."

"Doesn't seem like nothing."

Their whispers were quiet enough not to be heard over the din of the classroom but Ayako wanted to make sure. She peeked up, looked left and right before leaning down.

"It's a guy," the petite girl whispered. "I finally went out with him... well, not technically but we hung out."

Lucy's eyes widened comically and she leaned even closer to hear. "What?" she hissed excitedly. "And you didn't even think of telling me?"

She had to press a hand to her mouth to smother the giggle that threatened to bubble out of her lips. "Sorry, but I was just distracted."

The red head smirked. "That's an understatement."

After a moment, she asked, "so, who is he?"

This was the part where she stalled and found herself unable to share with her best friend. Lucy had once teased her for eyeing Tadashi at the Lucky Cat Cafe the very first time they went there for a cup of coffee. Ayako had tried to not make it so obvious the rest of the subsequent times that they had visited the place.

She didn't want her friend to know that she had developed an interest in the cute waiter less Lucy started teasing her.

Would her friend know whom she was talking about just by the mention of him?

Ayako wouldn't know until she tried.

"It's... do you still remember that cute waiter we once saw at the Lucky Cat Cafe?"

Lucy frowned as she tried to recall. "That cafe that we went once with Keiro and her other friends?"

She nodded. "The same one."

The red head's eyes widened. "You mean that cute waiter with the baseball cap and that seriously charming smile."

Ayako nodded, trying not to let her excitement show. She must've failed for Lucy immediately started laughing and whispering, "shut up, no way!"

"Yeah," she replied bashfully.

"You went out with him?" The disbelief on her friend's face annoyed her but she let it go. After all, she couldn't believe it too.

Ayako cringed and dropped her eyes to her drawing, unsure if she should divulge further.

"Ayako Sorokin, tell me what the hell happened or I swear you we're not sisters by covenant anymore," Lucy stated solemnly although her grin detracted from the warning.

"I don't recall ever signing a covenant with you?" she replied, amused.

Her friend scoffed. "Well, now you did. So, tell me all about your date with him."

"It wasn't a date per se," she muttered. "He just invited me over to check out his inventions."

"His...inventions?"

The crestfallen expression on her friend's face made her hastily explain.

"Yeah, but hear me out. You know that wicked cool coffee machine we saw behind the counter where they use to drain the coffee grinds?"

"Yeah?" Lucy's brow wrinkled, as if she couldn't understand the direction where her friend was heading. "What about it?"

Ayako didn't mean to sound smug when she answered but she couldn't help it. "Well, he and his brother actually invented that."

"You're serious?" she exclaimed. "Wow, he must be really smart then."

"Yeah. He's a student at S.F.I.T."

"Whoa! For  _real_?"

"For real."

Her friend cracked a wide grin. "You're dating a super genius?"

She shook her head. "We barely even talked about ourselves at all. He just showed me his work and we set another date for Wednesday."

Lucy looked impressed. "I can say that I'm officially proud of you right now."

"And why's that?"

"Because he doesn't really date much," Lucy confided. "Miko told me that he's one of the guys that didn't seem really interested in romance."

Ayako thought it over, to his friendly disposition and wondered why. Tadashi was obviously good-looking and had a brain to match. Why didn't he date around?

Maybe she could ask him.

Lucy was looking at her with something akin to awe. "This is legendary. Wait until Miko hears that you managed to get some - ahem -  _one on one time with him._ "

Warning bells sounded in her mind and she shook her head vehemently. "Please, don't," she said, clasping her hands together in a dramatic rendition of a plea. "Don't let anyone know. I'm not even sure what's between us and I don't want word to spread to him and make him think that I'm some psychotic-"

"Hey, relax," her friend interjected. "I was just kidding. If you're not comfortable at all, I won't tell."

"Promise?" she said, lifting her pinkie finger up with an expression of seriousness.

Lucy sighed and Ayako knew she must seem completely immature right now but her best friend nodded and wrapped her pinkie finger around hers.

"Promise."

"Great. Now, I need your help."

"With what?"

"Do you really think I need to brush up on my biology and smart talk to impress him or should I just wing it and act like a total dork?"

Lucy seemed to think this over, tugging on her braided hair. "Hmm. I think just let him see you for who you are. That should be enough," her friend stated.

"Pretending like you're someone you're not would just ruin the trust. So yeah. Continue acting like a total dork. I'm sure he'll find it endearing."

Ayako heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Luce," she said in her most grateful tone and meant it, "I don't know what I'll do without your advice."

"Probably mess up real bad," she commented breezily.

The artist smirked at her best friend. "Probably."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was thinking of writing a scene where Tadashi meets Lucy and Ayako's other friends in the later part of this story. Does that sound interesting?
> 
> Tell me what you think?


	5. Common Ground

Wednesday couldn't come fast enough, as evident by his constant glances at the calender. He tried to get on with his studies as best as he could but the nagging thoughts would sometimes catch up to him.

Did he clean the lab as best he could?

Were the tools all stashed properly?

Did he keep all his plans in a proper place where he could find them?

He had barely paid his friends any attention today, not when Fred told his usual jokes or when Honey mentioned about her business. GoGo had noticed that he seemed hung up on something as she cornered him after lunch, hand on her hip with a raised brow.

Tadashi nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned around from the vending machine and found the shorter girl just in front of him.

"Goodness... you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"All right, what's going on with you?" GoGo didn't waste time and went straight to her first question.

Tadashi frowned in confusion. "I don't understand what you're trying to ask."

"Honey had to call your name three times to get your attention," the adrenaline junkie emphasized. "And Fred actually had to call you something other than 'dude' or 'bro' to get you to look at him."

The young man blinked as he adjusted the strap of his messenger bag, unsure of what to say as he didn't remember this happening. "Huh. Really? I didn't notice."

"Exactly," GoGo replied, tilting her head to one side. "Something's bothering you today, and either you tell me or get your butt out of the lab before you cause an accident with that daydreaming of yours."

"I didn't... hey, that's not fair -"

Tadashi huffed as he glared at the shorter girl. Usually, he wouldn't let GoGo's deceptively blunt words get under his skin but something about her glare instantly put him on defense.

"Guys, is everything okay?"

He was spared from replying when Honey walked in view, holding her phone in one hand. The tall blonde seemed to have caught a whiff of the tension surrounding her two friends as she slowly backed away apprehensively.

"Did I get in the middle of something?"

Tadashi wanted to retort that it was nothing but GoGo beat him to it.

"Nothing," she replied in her usual aloof manner. "I'll be heading back to the lab."

With a curt nod at her best friend and an indifferent glance at Tadashi, she left, leaving the both of them in a stony silence.

Honey broke the awkward tension with a laugh. "She sure knows how to make an exit."

Tadashi gave a noncommittal sound. "Don't know what's up with her."

"Did she ask you why you were acting so weird today?" Honey's attitude instantly changed from sheepish to compassion all within a heartbeat that it left him with whiplash.

"Uh, I guess so," he muttered then cleared his throat. "Have I been really acting weird today?"

The chemistry whiz grimaced and lifted her hand, placing a small distance between her thumb and forefinger. "Um, just a little."

He heaved a deep sigh and fidgeted with a loose thread on his favorite grey cardigan. "Sorry about today," he said nonchalantly, deciding that indifferent seemed the way to go. "I don't really feel like myself."

"It's okay," she replied in compassion. "I take it something bad must've happened to Hiro?"

Tadashi blinked for a moment in surprise. Did she really think that his detached attitude was because of his brother? Well, sometimes it was but today was not the same.

"No! Not at all," he replied vehemently. "Gosh, it's just..."

He trailed off, debating if he should tell Honey Lemon exactly what had been preoccupying his mind since this morning. The inventor decided against it and just shrugged.

"Guess I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, is all," he muttered.

"Oh, okay," Honey said, recovering her usual upbeat fashion. "Just go and reassure Fred, okay? He seems to think that you're mad at him. Keeps on saying it's because he borrowed your blowtorch to heat up his pizza."

Tadashi gaped at her words but didn't ask anymore as Honey walked away, leaving him standing there with coke in hand, unsure of what had just transpired.

All he knew was that he would have to apologize to his friends for being emotionally absent today and set boundaries with Fred on what can or can't be used in the lab for heating up pizza.

~~O~~O~~

Of all the times, why didn't she have a single long sleeved t-shirt when she really needed them? Ayako glared at her wardrobe, blowing a stray lock out of her face. Of all the times when she needed a modest shirt, she had to be stuck with literally hundreds of tank tops and nothing but two cardigans that didn't match her criteria  _at all._

The young woman groaned and flopped on her bed, ignoring the mountain of clothes accumulating each time she tossed a choice away. She ran a hand down her face and leaned back up, determined to tackle the lack of fashion inspiration.

Wednesday had arrived, bringing with it the excitement and apprehension churning in her chest at the thought of meeting with him again. She had already completed her assignments and informed her mother that she was heading out to the cafe to meet up with her friends.

Her mother had agreed in a harried tone and she could guess that there had been trouble in the maintenance office today for she didn't even ask Ayako where she was heading or when she was coming back.

Somehow, that seemed to have thrown her off - the thought that her mother didn't even try to interrogate her before she left the house.

Ayako shrugged. All the more easier to walk out of here.

In the end, she chose a simple black tank top with her favorite jeans that were not covered with paint, leaving out any cardigans or jackets as she wanted to be as comfortable as possible.

She thought of doing something amazing with her hair but lost the inspiration for it, letting it settle in their usual boring waves.

Strapping on some sandals and bringing her purse, she headed out of the door, walking towards the familiar way of the cafe. Ayako pushed open the door, surprise to find the cafe full with customers. Her eyes scanned over the crowd, searching for the sight of a familiar cap.

Tadashi was at the side of the cafe, by the pastry display and she made her way over there. His back was turned, pencil skidding over a piece of paper and she could plainly see the concentration on his features.

She tapped his shoulder and he startled, turning around to face her.

He relaxed when he saw who it was and gave her a warm smile.

"Hey, nice seeing you again."

"Likewise," she hummed, gesturing to the cafe. "Busy day, huh?"

_Busy day? Could she be any more lame?_

Tadashi nodded, unaware of the inner turmoil rolling in her mind.

"Let me clean up here and we'll head down, okay?"

She nodded. "Sure."

He folded the paper and wedged it in a hardcover notebook, placing the pencil back in a spare container and turned around to face her with a small smile.

"All done. Come on."

Ayako walked first on his insistence, sparing the cafe one last look before turning the corner and heading down to the door that held the lab, Tadashi following.

She pushed open the door, the corridor's light switched off. She chuckled.

"What's so funny?" He inquired, flipping a switch, light flooding the empty stretch of floor.

"Still doesn't get old whenever I think of this as a vampire's lair."

He snorted and gestured for her to go first. "Better than a yeti's lair."

"Yeti's don't have a lair," she interjected. "They're more solidarity creatures that blend in with the snow."

Tadashi cracked a smile at her words. He looked good today, wearing a white crew neck shirt, grey cardigan, brown jeans and his ever present cap.

"I wanted to ask how did you know that but I wonder if the answer is going to be something not surprising."

"That's cause I know one," the young woman quipped teasingly.

"Oh really?" he teased back, leading her down the lab where the strong smell of burnt metal greeted her nostrils.

"Sorry about the smell," he said as if reading her mind. "My little brother decided that today would be a good day to create new parts for his invention."

She was mildly surprise at the mention of a brother. "You have a sibling?"

"Yeah," he replied with a grin. "A fourteen year old brat of a brother who's actually quite brilliant."

"Brilliant, how?"

"Graduated high school when he was thirteen," Tadashi replied, hint of pride in his tone.

Her eyes bulged wide. Graduated? At fourteen? How smart was that kid, anyway?

"Wow, that's... amazing," she said, in awe. "I'm nineteen and I can't even tie my shoelaces properly and he's already graduated high school."

"He's a super genius, that one."

Tadashi's gaze softened when he mentioned his brother and Ayako didn't need to ask to know that he loved his brother dearly.

"What's his name?" Now, she was curious.

"Hiro," he replied.

"So, I bet he's planning to head down to the same college as you, huh?"

She hadn't expected the sarcastic eye roll from him.

"Ugh, I wish it were that simple."

"Why?" Ayako asked in amusement. He looked like a father who was talking about his wayward son, not at all like an older brother who was just mentioning his annoying sibling.

"He's too engross in bot fighting – and he acts as if I don't know that."

"Bot fighting?" That caught her interest. A few years ago when she moved here, Ayako had heard about the reputation of these bot fights and the violence that followed the people who won against the usual champions. She was instantly worried for this fourteen year old that she hadn't even met yet.

He noted the look of concern on her face.

"So far he's been careful, thinking that I have no idea." He chuckled. "Boy, was he wrong."

"You should talk to him," she suggested and while she didn't know much about this young man standing before her, she wanted to help the best she could, even if it was just imparting some advice.

He spared her a smile. "Don't worry. I know how to handle him."

"Bot fighting isn't exactly illegal, though," she chimed up, remembering some of her guy friends' words. They would tell their group of friends about their near brush with the usual gangsters that dominated the seedy streets and alleyways, though she had a strong feeling that they were just merely spectators in the fight.

"Just don't let Hiro bet his money. That's when the messy part starts."

He nodded. "I'll remember that."

"So, have you ever tried that before? Bot fighting, I mean."

"God, no," he said with a short laugh. "Do I seriously look like the type of person to get involved in such a thing?"

She bit her lip, trying to keep a laugh from escaping. Honestly, he looked more like a guy to stay at home and hide himself away from the world when finals arrived.

Tadashi thankfully didn't seem to notice her amusement as he asked, "what about you? Got any siblings?"

"Nope. Only child. Sometimes its a blessing, other times its a curse."

"Curse?" He was mystified. "Why would that be a curse?"

She shrugged. "I don't know... not so used to sharing my privacy, I guess."

"Huh. Never thought of it that way. I mean, I've been sharing a space with my brother for as long as I can remember that I kinda forget how being alone is like."

"Lonely," she said with a chuckle. "It's very lonely."

Tadashi shrugged. "Just cause you're lonely doesn't mean you're alone."

"That sort of sounds like a song I've heard before."

"Really? Which one?"

"Pop, I think. Gah, I haven't listened much to the radio; top forty hits kinda annoy me."

The young man seemed interested in her words, leaning closer. "Why'd you say that?"

"One: they're always on repeat. Two: the chorus is basically the same words repeated over and over again."

"Like that Primo 9 band – what's that song called again? Something that started with 'lightning'..."

"Lightning Love," she finished with an eye roll. "Oh my god, I thought that the song would never die down; everyone on campus had that song on repeat, every shop I went to played that... it was like a 9 wave that I couldn't escape from."

He nodded, agreeing with her. "Once, Fred – he's a friend from college – played that song so many times on repeat, GoGo actually had to disable his player so that we wouldn't have to hear 'if I could turn back time' anymore."

Ayako burst out laughing, shaking her head. "That's brilliant. Wished I had her around when my college friends started a random sing-a-long in the car to that song."

Tadashi grinned.

"Yeah, GoGo's pretty cool."

"GoGo," she mused. "What kind of name is that?"

He rolled his eyes, gesturing to the couch so that they could sit. Something told her that it would be a long explanation.

The couch sank underneath their combined weight and Tadashi turned to her, ready to clarify.

"Fred's the one that comes up with the nicknames, and gave each one of them really weird names."

"Like how weird?" She was starting to enjoy herself.

"He named one of our friends Wasabi cause he spilled the condiment on his shirt just once, and uh, Honey was called that cause she's super sweet yet she once threw a fit when we messed up with her chemical labels and so Fred dubbed her 'Honey Lemon'."

"And how about you? Got any nicknames that I can call you by?" Ayako teased.

He shook his head, brow furrowed. "Nope, none at all. Though they did call me Captain Nerd once when Callaghan chose me to be leader of the research team last year."

She nearly choked on her laughter. "Captain Nerd? Man, your friends sound like a riot."

"They are," Tadashi stated with a chuckle.

"The most my friends called me once was twinkle toes."

His brown eyes widened. "Twinkle toes? Now, that sounds like an epic story to tell."

Her cheeks reddened.

"And an embarrassing one at that."

"Let's hear it."

"You'll laugh."

"That's sort of the point," he said, amused.

Ayako sighed, pushing her a lock of hair behind her ear, contemplating how to word that story.

"Okay, so it's almost evening and I'm staying back at the art institute to finish up on one of my projects – 3D sculpting – and I was alone in the room. Or so I thought.

"There were some speakers there and I hooked up my music player to it, thinking that some music will help and..."

"And?" He prompted, attention captured.

"And my friend Lucy walks in on me spazz dancing to – don't laugh – Unicorn Triumph."

Tadashi burst out laughing anyway, shoulders shaking. "Unicorn Triumph?" He questioned through chuckles. "That song that was featured in that kid TV show with that weird chicken wing-like movement?"

"Hey, in my defense, it was really catchy," Ayako said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Yeah, but... oh my god, I'm interested in a girl that loves a song that starts with 'now you know life's like a cherry pie'."

She meant to smile at his words but they got caught up in the words 'interested' and 'girl'. Surely he didn't mean her, right? Right?

Tadashi stopped laughing and settled back against the couch, smug smile in place.

"Come on, as if you hadn't done anything embarrassing before," she reasoned, sudden idea popping in her head.

"I'll make you a trade."

"A trade for what?" He asked, curious.

She bit her lower lip as she thought it through. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

"I'll trade you one embarrassing story for one of yours."

Tadashi pondered on it for a moment, slow grin spreading on his face.

He put out his hand and she shook on it, already feeling the need to laugh at his expression.

"Deal."

~~O~~O~~

"You did  _what?_ " She exclaimed, half amused, half horrified.

"I know, I did that," he said, leaning back on the computer chair's two legs as he studied her. "I totally, unabashedly, asked who is Naomi Kato – which, in hindsight, I should've known because Honey's into fashion – while she was standing right in front of me."

Ayako shook her head, blown away by his story.

"Please don't tell me you just asked who a very famous, gorgeous fashion blogger is when she was standing  _right_ in front of you."

He pretended to wince. "I did. May the Force save my soul but I did. Now there's no turning back."

She snorted. "You are such a dork, you know that?"

"Hey, at least I didn't drink chilli juice thinking it was tomato," he countered.

"It was one time! And I honestly thought it was a strawberry shake, okay?"

His fingers were fidgeting with a pen in hand, twisting it this way and that. Ayako felt amused for she too couldn't stop her hands from moving, fiddling with her purse strap or toying with her hair.  _Must be a creative thing,_  she thought.

"Hey, how long have we been here?" She asked.

"You mean how long have you been laughing at my bad luck?"

"That too."

Tadashi spared a glance at the computer clock. "Um, wow. Fifteen minutes."

"Huh, could've sworn that it was shorter."

She gave him a smile. "So, what are you working on now?"

His eyes lit up at her question and he picked up a note book, showing her the sketches. She had to lean closer to see it, so that their cheeks were only inches apart. Ayako hoped that he couldn't feel her warm cheeks radiating heat all the way there. That would be biologically hard to explain.

Tadashi tapped the page, her eyes roving over the sketches, a sound of amazement leaving her lips.

"A nurse bot?"

"Yeah," he said, gesturing to the skeleton of the robot. "I've already built the frame for the robot – carbon fiber, it allows for -"

"Lighter density," she finished, surprising him. She looked up into his wide eyes.

"What? I had to work with them a year ago. Assembling project," Ayako replied defensively.

Tadashi chuckled. "Okay, yeah. So, I'm thinking of just keeping the endo-skeleton as it is and maybe trying to come up with better battery power for it-"

"Wait, you're just leaving something like that for a nurse bot." The dark haired young woman tilted her head to one side. "Seems weird for a nurse bot to have that sort of... threatening, scary structure. Reminds me of one of those robots in those old TV shows that could maybe rip through your chest like that one Scott Ridley movie."

Tadashi scoffed. "Really? An  _Alien_  reference?"

"Yes, really."

"Hmm, I guess you could be right."

"Honey, I'm always right."

He spared her withering gaze and she shrugged, unapologetic.

"But your idea's still pretty amazing, though."

Tadashi's features softened at her words and she marveled at how easy it was to placate his mood.

"Thank you."

Blue eyes shined with mischief. "You're welcome. Though, I wonder if the robot could be updated to form a battle bot..."

"God, no. You sound like my brother now."

She lifted her hands up in mock surrender, grinning impishly. "Okay, okay! It was just a suggestion, yeesh."

Glancing again at the clock, she noted that it was probably almost time for dinner and she had to leave soon.

Tadashi noticed her silence, gesturing towards the door. "Need to leave already?"

Ayako started, as if she didn't expect him to notice her wondering gaze.

"Uh, yeah, actually. My mum will be wondering where I am and she'll probably start nagging. Mother's am I right?"

His smile was soft. "Yeah, tell me about it."

The young woman stood up, hitching her purse strap higher. "Guess I should be heading back... and thanks for showing me your work, it sounds really cool and I can't wait to see it in motion." Her words were sincere and she truly meant them. She couldn't wait to see how the robot came out.

"I'll tell you when he's ready but..."

"But?"

Tadashi wore a smirk. "Remember our deal?"

"Our... oh." Realization dawned on her then as Ayako remembered her words on how she would show him her gallery if he showed her his work. "Of course I do. When are you free?"

"Hmm, Friday sound good?"

She thought it over, remembering that Friday's were outside dinner nights and her mom would usually be back home later as she didn't have to prepare dinner.

"Friday sounds great. My mom will be home late so there'll be no awkward meetings."

Tadashi seemed to hesitate and she shot him a curious look.

"It's just... your mom won't mind?"

"Pssh, she won't," Ayako reassured. "I always invite friends over for projects. She won't mind as long as I don't take her coffee and serve it to them."

"Okay, got it. Friday it is and no touching other people's coffee."

She couldn't help the grin at his words.

"Sounds great."

"Here, I'll walk you out."

He led her down the corridor again, this time to a nearly empty cafe and watched as she headed down the street after sparing him one last smile.

Ayako walked with light steps and almost hummed when her phone vibrated.

It was her mom.

"Hello?"

"'Yako? Where are you? It's almost dinner time," came her mother's shrill cry. "Why aren't you home yet?"

She winced and retracted the phone a few inches from her ear, her mother's voice grating her eardrums.

"I'll be home soon, mom. I'm already walking back," she reassured.

Her mother sighed and she could just imagine her pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

"Just hurry up, okay?"

"Yes, sure. See you."

~~O~~O~~

If emotions could resemble stars, his would be equivalent to a whole champagne bottle.

Happiness bubbled out of him, lightness in his action and thoughts. He honestly had a really good time with her, thinking back to how great of a conversationalist she was. Ayako didn't put on an act or pretend to be someone she was not, as evident by her nerding out over bands. She wasn't conventional in the slightest - at least to him - which was something he admired and respected out of a person.

Tadashi was cleaning out the lab, putting things back properly to where they were, mind hung up on today's events.

As much as he wanted to say that he came out of the meeting with nothing but admiration for the girl, something couldn't help but blink in the back of his mind.

_Starting to fall. Starting to fall. Starting to fall too damn hard._

And it was true.

Tadashi was never one to push back his emotions and ignore what his instincts and heart were telling him; that she was a great person and he would be lying if he said he didn't want to spend more time with her.

The thought of her brought a smile to his lips and that was when he knew: he was already starting to like Ayako, and he didn't know if he should be terrified or amused at how fast he had fallen.

Whatever it was, there was no denying his feelings as much as he wanted to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Aww, looks like our favorite nerd's love-struck.
> 
> Tell me what you think?


	6. Paint Wars

 

Ayako was pretty sure that her hair was not cooperating with her today. The long, dark strands refused to stay put, fusterating to the point of pulling her hair up in a high ponytail just to get it off her face.

She had been scrutinizing her reflection for the better part of five minutes, making sure that nothing weird popped up on her face unannounced at the last minute. Although, if fate suddenly found that it had a vendetta against her and a pimple were to pop out, she would definitely be helpless against it.

Stacking up her sketch books and picking up random clothing from the floor, she made sure the floor was spotless before shoving everything into a nearby closet, hoping that Tadashi wouldn't notice the obvious bulge.

The doorbell ringing made her stop short and she took a moment to compose herself.

_Deep breaths, deep breaths,_  she continously reminded herself.

With one last look at her reflection, she went to get the door, putting on her most warmest smile.

Tadashi stood outside, leaning against the doorframe so that when the door swung open, her nose nearly collided with his chest. They both stumbled back in surprise, Tadashi nearly tripping over his own feet.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry-"

"No, no, I'm sorry," he said, face coloring a beet red. "Guess I should stop doing that, but old habits die hard."

"What habit? Leaning on movable surfaces?"

His amused look made her blush a bright red and she was so sure that her cheeks were going to catch on fire.

She managed to brushed it aside and gestured for him to enter. He smiled and ducked in, the top of his head nearly brushing the door frame. She had a sinking feeling that maybe inviting a six foot tall person into a house designated for hobbits wasn't such a good idea.

The image of Tadashi standing in the middle of her house seemed to strike her as odd for some reason. He was like a stark contrast against the yellow walls and country furniture, with his sleek usual style of cardigan, shirt and jeans combo; a gray streak between all the nauseous yellows flaxen hues. It was the type of contrast that she could get used to.

Tadashi hummed as he surveyed the room, from the stack of magazines in the living room to the small dining table behind the couch. "Nice place," he said appreciatively.

"Thanks," Ayako replied with a smile. "So, how was college today?"

Tadashi made a face. "Hard. Just got my assignment marks back."

"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good," she stated, shifting the cushions so that they could both sit together.

"Actually, it was pretty okay but I messed up a theory and..." He trailed off with a shake of his head. "Look at me," the inventor said. "Here I am talking about my assignments when I'm here to see your gallery."

Ayako snorted. "It's perfectly all right. I love the suspense anyway."

Tadashi shook his head and removed his cap, setting it on his messenger bag.

"So, let's see the drawings."

She was suddenly nervous, twisting her hands together as she turned her gaze to the fuzzy yellow carpet on the wooden floor.

"Hey, you okay?" His tone was concerned and she felt disconcerted by the attention.

Ayako shrugged, twisting a loose strand of hair in between her fingers. "It's just... I've never had anybody look at my art before and I'm... kinda self-conscious about it so..."

She sighed and looked him straight in the eye. "I don't know how you managed to do it – show me your inventions I mean. If that were me, I would be shivering in fear of someone looking at my creation."

Tadashi shrugged. "You just have to push past the fear, I guess," he coached. "The more you share your passion, the more easier it is to talk about it."

"Hmm, maybe." She stood up, extending a hand to him to help him up. He graciously accepted it and allowed her to pull him up, swaying a little on his feet.

She led him down the hall to the first room on the left, just opposite her bedroom and creaked open the door.

"Now, don't freak but..."

The lights flickered on from a single, overhead bulb, illuminating the space between them.

"Oh... _wow._ "

She risked a peek back and found Tadashi looking around the room in earnest curiosity, and she could see him try to absorb as much information as possible, cataloging the various artwork, sculptures and the miasma of artistic decor hanging from the ceiling. He had to bend his head so that it didn't brush against the opals and wires that formed the art, grinning easily.

"This is amazing."

"You think so?" Ayako asked shyly.

Tadashi gave her a pointed smile. "Uh. Yes."

He reached and fingered a bent wire made to look like a light bulb, the fascination on his face utterly endearing.

"And you created all of this?"

She couldn't hide the pride from her voice. "Yup."

He walked over to where a stack of paintings stood and one unfinished one on an easel. Tadashi scrutinized the paintings, finding one that was eye catching to him and pointed at it.

"That one... what's that about?"

Ayako glanced over to where he had gestured. The painting was one that she had done two years ago, when her father left for Russia and never contacted her or her mother again. It was a lonely and dark road, fringed with fir trees that receded in a classic optical illusion. But the one part that she had arduously worked on was the swirling stars and night clouds, forming a circle of protection around a brightly lit moon.

She had a faint recollection that she had painted this while listening to a Kansas song, although that particular memory felt off in her mind.

"Um... heavy stuff," she replied in a contrasting light voice.

Tadashi seemed to have noticed her hesitation and spared her a glance before returning his attention to the painting.

"It's one of the more beautiful ones," he said in a soft tone, fingers gently brushing on the long dried paint that was starting to flake on the side.

Ayako had never really told anyone about her father; the humiliation of his leaving had mostly been a hindrance to explain whenever someone asked her where her dad was. The only person that knew was Lucy, and even that took days of pestering and promises of not judging from the red head before she broke down and told her friend everything.

How her father seemed to have found a new wife in Russia, how he seemed to have forgotten about his other family as if they never existed.

She sighed, deciding what harm could come if she told him about this.

But before she could open her mouth and blurt out the real meaning behind the painting, he moved on to another canvas, this one filled with brighter colors and an almost childish color palette to it.

"This one is pretty too," he mused. Ayako gave a half-hearted smile in response. The painting was one of a cotton sky, seen from a vantage point on a pier. It had been one of her earliest memories as a child, and she faintly recalled the smell of roasted peanuts, her father's larger hand enveloping hers and actually seeing her mother's rare smile.

"It was taken when I was a young kid," she said fondly. "First time I ever went to a carnival with my parents and they actually acted civil with one another."

She realized then her slip before hastily trying to cover it up. "N-Not that they weren't civil before but-"

"Hey, it's okay," Tadashi interjected with a bright smile. "You don't have to explain it to me but I won't judge."

The artist relaxed then, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

His eyes were caught by another drawing, this one of a microscope done in explicit detailing with a dark pencil. Tadashi quirked a smile at her.

"Never knew you thought science apparatus to be a good model."

She gave a short laugh at that. "What can I say, I wanted to study science when I was younger."

"And why didn't you?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

Ayako gave a shrug. "I did once. A very long time. Like high school long time."

That seemed to have captured his attention and so she continued on.

"Wasn't really good at the other science subjects but I would always excel at biology," she replied, squaring her shoulders. "I was told that I could be accepted into a nearby science college majoring in microbiology but I chose art instead."

Tadashi blinked, as if he couldn't wrap his head around the fact. Then, he smiled and it immediately put her at ease. "Wow, you just keep getting more and more interesting the longer I hang out with you."

Ayako's cheeks heated up although it was in flattery at his words.

"Aw, shucks. Now you just inflated my already big head to twice its size."

"Oh no. Is that a bad thing?" he teased.

"Major horrible thing," she quipped back.

He shook his head and his eyes fell to the corner where she kept her speakers. "Hey, you work with music too?"

"Yeah," she said and gestured over to the equipment.

"The silence sometimes is so unnerving that-"

"You want to blast some songs just to keep you awake?" Tadashi completed for her, looking excited.

She bit back a laugh and nodded. "Yeah.  _Exactly._ "

"Same here," he replied with a laugh. "Can't concentrate even once if there's nothing playing in the background."

"What do you listen to?" she asked, honestly curious. If she were to judge him by his looks, she'll say that he preferred classical music or maybe oldies.

But she wasn't prepared for his answer when he said, "punk rock."

The petite girl gaped at him, as if she were looking at him for the first time.

"No way!" she exclaimed. "Shut up, I love punk rock too."

"You do?" Tadashi was actually surprised. Who knew she had almost the same tastes as him? "What do you listen to?"

"Neon Monochrome is one of my favorite bands," she replied with no hesitation. "Core Mine is pretty great too..." She trailed off with a blush. "Cause the front man is such a babe."

"Really? Not because they sold about three million copies of their first single 'Life-struck'?" he teased.

She stuck out her tongue at him, earning a grin from Tadashi.

"First off, their second single was  _way_  better and, yeah, sue me, I had a crush on him ever since I was sixteen."

Tadashi scoffed. "Nothing beats The Porcelain Down though. They're music is super catchy," he stated.

"Only catchy cause they copied from an older band," Ayako quipped, happy that her knowledge of bands was starting to pay off.

He raised a brow at her words. "I thought they stated that they were  _influenced._ "

"Nope," she said, thoroughly enjoying herself. "Even the rift from 'Baby Now' was copied from an older band. Daylight Tradition's 'Get Down From Your State' probably."

Tadashi was impressed and he showed it too. "All right all knowing master of punk rock bands. I shall defer to your wonderful jargon of knowledge."

"Mistress of punk rock bands," she replied after a beat and rolled her eyes. "Gender equality," Ayako said in a sing-song voice.

Tadashi grinned, shaking his head. "Okay, okay. Bottom line is you won."

"Cool."

"Need an award?"

"Nah, I'm confident in my supreme ruling. Say, want something to drink?"

"Sure," he enthused. "What's on the menu?"

"Orange juice? What? You wanted something stronger?" Her quip earned a smirk from his as he shook his head.

"Orange juice sounds pretty good."

Ayako led the way out of the room, waiting for him to follow before she switched of the light, sparing the place one last glance before letting the door swing shut on itself.

Tadashi busied himself while she prepared the drinks, taking in the small kitchen and the pictures lining the walls and shelves. He picked one up, running his fingers over the ridged edge of the photo frame. The girl in picture was definitely Ayako, her hair in twin pigtails and holding a small teddy bear to her chest as she grinned her gap-toothed smile.

He set the picture down with a small smile and picked up another one, this time with an older woman in it whom he reasoned must've been her mother. Tadashi scrutinized the picture and glanced over at Ayako, noting that she only had a her mother's coloring but not her features.

Maybe she got her nose from her dad?

Speaking of a dad, there didn't seem to be any photograph depicting a man, at least not what he could see.

"Hey, juice is done and-"

He hastily placed the picture back down and turned to find her giving him a blank look.

Guilt settled in his chest and he gave a sheepish smile. "Um, sorry. That was inappropriately curious."

The young woman surprised him by laughing as she set the two glasses down.

"Don't be. That's what anyone would do when they see family photographs."

He relaxed a little, gesturing towards the photo frame that he had picked up not a moment ago. "Is that your mother?"

"Yup," she replied, angling her head so that she could look past his arm at the same photo. "That was taken almost ten years ago. I kinda forgot my mom could smile."

Tadashi raised a brow at her words but didn't comment on it.

She let him put the photo back and picked up a glass, already halfway through it when he said, "I hope this doesn't come as too forward but... where's your dad?"

If it wasn't for her fast reflexes, Ayako would have spat the juice out and watched in mortification as she drenched him (and the floor) with sticky fruit pulp.

She swallowed the drink a little painfully, coughing a little, one hand thumping her chest and another setting the glass down.

"I'm sorry," Tadashi immediately started. "I didn't mean to pry but-"

"N-No, it's okay," she stammered. "J-Just caught me by surprise, that's all."

She contemplated his question for a moment.

"He's... gone."

Tadashi's head shot up in time to see her eyes shift to the other side of the room, unable to make contact with his. "I'm so sorry," he said in a soft voice. He could see the hesitance reflecting well in her posture, in the tight grimace of her lips and he mentally face-palmed himself for asking such a personal question.

He knew that if she were to ask him about his parents, the young man would straight up tell her that they died in a car crash. It wasn't as if he didn't care about the people who raised him for the first nine years of his life, but the wounds were long healed, being replaced by the soothing presence of his aunt and brother. But Ayako... Ayako's wounds seem to run much deeper than he was sure she let on.

"Don't be," she said, lips pulled into a tight smile. "I don't mind."

"Look, if there's any consolation-"

"There's no need," Ayako interrupted although her smile was warm. "Come on, I want to show you something."

She led him to her bedroom, just opposite the room she took for her gallery and pushed the door open. He entered tentatively, unwilling to intrude on her personal space but her relaxed disposition made him feel otherwise.

Her room was much more brighter than the gallery, windows opening up to the street letting in sunlight and a small breeze that ruffled the top of his hair. A single bed pushed in a corner gave way to a messy circle of art supplies centered by a huge easel where another canvas lay; a computer along with one of those PortNotes that artists' used to draw on sitting in the far corner. Tadashi noted that the walls were bare but the shelves were decorated with tons of art paraphernalia, including a notable amount of those Russian dolls that he forgot the name to.

Tadashi wandered over and picked one of those dolls up, gently prying open the section in the middle and finding another doll within.

"My dad made that," Ayako stated softly, coming to stand beside him.

"It's beautiful," he said, noting the fine details of the doll, right down to the intricate blue eyes.

"Yeah, it is," she said and he turned to find her giving the doll a fond look. "Dad was from Russia and he said that my great-great grandfather used to be a  _matryoska_  doll artist and passed on the family business of building and painting them. He always said that it reminded him of his home country."

"Your dad's Russian?" Tadashi honestly didn't think that she was biracial, as evident to her Asian coloring. But now that he thought about it, her features did seem more exotic, and he guessed that he had his answer as to where she got her fine nose from.

She nodded. "Moved down here when he got married to my mom."

"That's... really interesting."

"It isn't, really. Classic case of wanting to escape his hometown, but-" She picked up the doll and weighed it in her hand, looking contemplative. "-Sometimes the pull of home is just too strong."

"But why the Japanese name and not something like Natalia?" He was genuinely curious, and besides, it's not every day that he could meet someone who was half-Russian.

Pursing her lips, she smiled in amusement. "Because Ayako was the only name that they could agree on and my parent's don't agree on things easily."

She opened the drawer connected to the shelf, promptly ending that part of the conversation and pulled out similar structures of the dolls but these were unpainted.

Ayako turned to him with a smirk. "Wanna learn how to paint one?"

Tadashi raised an eyebrow, sensing her challenge.

"And if I suddenly have amazing artistic powers and wow you away? What do I get in return?"

She pondered his teasing question and replied wryly, "dinner's on me, then."

He cracked his neck and stretched his limbs as if readying for a physical challenge. Eyeing the wooden carving, he spared her a smirk.

"It's on."

~~O~~O~~

Tadashi groaned when he messed up the eyes again, watching as the paint drooped down and splattered against the newspaper where they had set to avoid making a mess.

Ayako was lying on her stomach, legs crossed in the air as she concentrated on painting her doll. She glanced over with a suppressed smile.

"Wipe it off with a cloth and start over."

He sat cross legged opposite from her, cardigan removed so that it wouldn't stain the sleeves and he tilted his head to the side, taking in the width of the brush, the density of the paint and the borders of the doll's features. He mentally calculated and estimated how much force he had to put into the brush when her chuckle interrupted him.

"I can see you calculating, dude," she remarked, sitting up so that she could face him. "Here-"

She took his wrist in her hand, the one that was holding the paint brush and positioned it over the surface.

Applying the gentlest amount of pressure, she guided him and he watched with a certain fascination the blue paint forming a perfect drop for the eye.

"You can't calculate art," she said softly, releasing his wrist and moving to sit back down. "Art should be felt, not estimated." He really wished that her touch didn't leave warm imprints on his skin as he struggled with a proper reply, willing his heavy tongue to form the words without stuttering.

"I'm not good at the feeling part, remember?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Nope. Don't recall."

"Well, you succeeded all right."

"Succeeded for what?" Her attention was derailed from the doll and she looked up in curiosity.

"Making me go 'huh?' instead," he said, reminding her of the promise she had given days ago when she said that she would make sure to leave him confounded.

"Well, what do you know." A gloating smile appeared on Ayako's face. "I did, didn't I?"

He didn't know how it happened, but suddenly his wrist flicked up and he splashed some of the blue paint on her bare arm. Ayako gaped at the streak of blue, snaking down her tan arm and whipped her head up to glare at him.

"Real mature science boy."

Before he could get a word of apology in, he felt something wet hit his cheek and saw her lifting a red paintbrush in smug satisfaction.

He responded by reaching over and letting the flat side of the brush's head hit her shoulder, leaving a glob of paint there.

She shrieked and, with a narrow eyed gaze, dipped the paintbrush in the orange hue before targeting his face again.

This time, Tadashi moved quickly out of the way and she had to rush up and catch him, accidentally getting some paint on the floor in the process. She threw the glob of orange paint at him and watched as it hit the other side of his cheek, mixing in with the red.

He narrowed his eyes at her and loaded up a paint brush filled with green paint this time.

"Oh, it's on."

Ayako had no place to hide when he threw the paint at her, watching as it hit the fabric of her tank top. She gasped and responded quickly, picking up a tub of black paint and swirling her brush in it.

"Bring it," she said and even as he tried to move out of the way, it wasn't fast enough as the paint hit the back of his shoulder where he knew it would absorb into his red shirt.

Ayako giggled but not for long when a glob of blue paint went sailing and splash against the side of her face. She gaped at the young man who just smirked at her.

"Well?" He taunted, eyebrows raised as if awaiting her next move.

Ayako didn't know what got into her but she tackled him, catching him off guard and nearly knocking him from his feet. Her hand flicked up and the paintbrush left a smear of red on his cheek, leaving him wide eyed as he held onto her waist to keep from falling.

Silence fell over them and she smirked up at him. "I won," she whispered.

Tadashi's face heated up and he quickly let go of her, unsure if she was even aware of their close proximity. Her breathlessness was borne out of their impromptu paint fight but the slight flush of her cheeks told him otherwise.

She pulled away from him and cleared her throat, giving him a shy smile.

"That was..."

"Random?" He finished for her.

She nodded, echoing, "yeah... totally random."

His gaze fell to the mess of newspapers interspersed with paint colors and he gestured sheepishly at the mess. "Sorry for that."

Ayako snorted and he looked to her in surprise.

"It's okay," she replied mildly, "that was fun too."

"I'll help you clean up," Tadashi offered and she gave a shrug, reaching over to pick up a spare clean cloth and tossing it to him.

He wiped a glob of green paint from the floor and watched as she followed suit, picking up another cloth. They cleaned up the best they could, leaving the room spotless once more.

"Well, that was interesting."

She spared him a smile. "Sure was."

He looked down at his shirt and was not surprise to find streaks of paint. At least it wasn't his favorite shirt.

"That's going to have a hard time coming out," he commented, wrinkling his brow.

"If it's any consolation to you," she started, smirking, "I'm gonna have a hard time too."

He looked at her and found her glancing over at her paint stained tank top with an amused grin.

The image was so silly that he let out a laugh and she peeked up, lips pressed together to keep from laughing.

She failed, chuckling along with him. "We're such a mess," she said through her uncontrollable giggles.

One look at her watering eyes and the way how she had to bend to keep herself upright from falling sent him into another round of laughter.

They're glee died down and a comfortable silence befell them, the atmosphere pleasant.

He broke the silence with a well placed, "so this was fun."

Ayako nodded, looking amused. "Very."

"We should do this more often," Tadashi stated, reaching for his cardigan.

She gave a small smile. "Yes. Yes, we should."

"I should be heading home before my aunt worries." He hesitated for a moment, before gently grasping her wrist. "Thank you... for showing me the gallery and teaching me how to paint. It was fun."

"Oh, speaking of painting." She reached down and picked up the discarded matryoska doll and handed it to him.

Tadashi took the wooden carving, feeling the still tacky paint stain his fingers.

"You can have that. It's yours."

He huff and shook his head. "I-"

"Go ahead. It's yours," she stated, pressing his fingers with her own so that they wrapped around the item.

"Thank you," he said, suddenly shy. "Really."

"And you're really welcome."

"I wonder what my aunt would think when she sees this," he commented, referring to his stained shirt.

"That it looks better on you?"

Ayako grinned and headed out of the room, Tadashi following behind and giving an indignant snort. Walking over to the door as she pulled it open. She watched as he picked up his cap and bag, cardigan draped over his arm.

Tadashi gave her a one last smile and a wave. Ayako watched until his form disappeared down the stairs. She closed the door and with a heady breath, slid down the wood, trying to contain her excitement and control the furious blush staining her cheeks.

She wrapped her arms around her torso, the wide smile stretched across her cheeks.

The day felt disjointed, as if she were looking at herself having a moment with him than living it herself and for a moment, she relished in the feel, of smiling and laughing in such a carefree way once more.

And all because of that one young man who made her heart beat twice as fast when he was around with his warm, brown eyes and infectious laughter.

Yup, there was no denying it.

She was head over heels in way too deep. And for once, she didn't mind.

~~O~~O~~

"Sweetie, what happened to your shirt?" Aunt Cass' exclamation rang through the empty cafe and Tadashi cringed for a moment, positive that he was in trouble.

"Um..." He wondered if he should tell his aunt the truth and whether she would happy for him or slightly disconcerted that he had spent the whole afternoon in a girl's house.

"Tadashi, are you okay? What happened?"

His aunt moved from behind the pastry display and walked over to him, gaze scrutinizing yet filled with concern.

He gave a weak chuckle. "You know that girl that I've been hanging around with sometimes?"

Aunt Cass nodded, expression softening.

"Let me guess," his aunt teased, "she showed you her work?"

"Yeah," Tadashi replied, meaning it to sound nonchalant but the warm flush in his cheeks surely gave him away. "And... this happened."

"Aww," Aunt Cass cooed as she reached over and pulled him into her embrace. Tadashi was unsure how to react so he settled for confuse as she let her arms drop, proud smile tugging on her lips.

"What was that for?"

His aunt grinned. "I'm just happy that she makes you happy, sweetie."

Tadashi didn't know what to say to that, slightly stunned at his aunt's forwardness so he hummed instead and gestured to the stairs. "I better go get cleaned up and start with my projects."

Aunt Cass nodded. "Sure. Go ahead. I'm going to prepare dinner soon."

"But it's only four," he pointed out.

"Yes, but the noodles take a few hours to prepare."

He was mystified as to what his aunt was going to prepare but let her walk back to the kitchen. He made a small noise of nonchalance and headed up the stairs.

"Hey, bro – whoa, did you get accidentally walk into a vat of paint or something."

Hiro's apprehensive expression came into view and Tadashi chuckled.

"Not exactly."

The younger brother took in the almost goofy smile on his face, the softness in his eyes and decided that he did  _not_  want to know where Tadashi had been for the better part of the afternoon.

He picked up a towel and slipped behind the partition, closing it and proceeded to change out of his dirty clothes.

"You know, the graduation's in a few days," Hiro's voice called from the other side.

Tadashi replied, "yeah, I do. What about it?"

"Well, I need to write a speech and all that and I was wondering if you could help me."

He slipped on his favorite Henley shirt and stepped pushed the partition door aside, facing his brother. Hiro gazed at him expectantly as Tadashi struggled to find the right words without his brother thinking that he might be rejecting him.

"I thought you were the real genius here," he finally said, making it sound teasing as he tossed his used clothes in the hamper.

Hiro rolled his eyes. "Seriously? I asked you because you're so used to writing presentations for your nerd projects."

"First off, they're just projects," Tadashi clarified, feeling a little offended at his brother's words. "And secondly, you write well too, you know?"

"Look, are you gonna help me or not?" Hiro's tone was demanding, arms crossed as he glared at his brother.

Tadashi smirked and nodded, saying, "of course. I was just messing with you."

Hiro seemed to relax as he settled back against the headboard, picking up his book and continuing from where he left off.

Over the pages, he watched as his brother went to the bathroom, cleaning off the paint from his face and wiping it down with his towel. Hiro didn't know how his brother got that messed up but he could take a good guess.

"You spent your afternoon with that girl?" His tone was casual and the way how Tadashi froze and looked panicked almost made him laugh aloud. Hiro pressed his lips together to keep from smirking, adopting the innocent disposition that he perfected to a pat.

He blinked up at his brother and he could see Tadashi struggling not to start apologizing or something patronizing that only he could be capable of doing.

Hiro sighed and shook his head. "You know, you don't have to keep secrets from me, bro. I'll understand."

Tadashi forced a laugh, crossing his arms in front of him as he met his brother's gaze head on.

"I'm not keeping anything a secret."

Hiro lifted his shoulders in response and proceeded to ignore Tadashi, deciding that he was bored and wanted to continue reading. Besides, he didn't know how, but his brother's lying skills have gotten progressively better... almost as if he had been taking his cues from the young teen.

"I'm heading down to fix up some of my projects," he informed, heading towards the stairs.

"Okay," Hiro called back. "Just don't take too long. I need the lab too."

Tadashi grunted in response and left, footsteps echoing down the stairs as he left his brother to his wiles.

~~O~~O~~

Hiro grimaced as he pulled out a second book from behind the bigger book's cover, eyes shining in anticipation. His dark brown eyes perused the manual, from the building of fighter bots to different locations where fights would be held.

He had kept that information from Tadashi, fearing his brother would think that he was up to no good. Hiro wasn't truly up to anything bad; he just wanted to test his inventions in the real world, see how they held up against other inventors' robots.

Folding the pamphlet in half, he memorized the booking website for the various bot fights and pulled out his sketchbook from under the bed. Opening the pages, he studied the diagrams that he had drawn, the different plans for the ideas swirling in his head.

Hiro knew that he had to keep this a secret from Tadashi; his brother would have his head if he had the slightest notion that he was up to illegal activities.

But bot fighting isn't illegal, he thought as he studied the latest idea that sprung forth in his mind and onto the pages; a battle bot that was made up of three similar parts and would rely on magnetic control to form and break down. Perfect for the underground bot fighting scene.

With a gleeful smile, he tucked the ideas back in the sketchbook and placed them safely under a loose wooden plank, confident that nobody would find them there.

Of course bot fighting isn't illegal, he reasoned. Although the money that he was sure to win would throw a ranch into the legality of the activity.

Hiro shrugged, picking up the book and starting over from the first paragraph.

He was never one to throw his ideas away, no matter how bad or illegal they actually were.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: An early Christmas gift from me to you, filled with Aydashi bonding and general silliness.
> 
> Happy holidays and I hope everyone has a great Christmas :)


	7. Knight On a Red Scooter

It seemed like too much of a beautiful day to be stuck in her room with assignments. Ayako decided to head out to the park, pulling a jacket over her bare shoulders so that the cold wouldn't get to her. Autumn was almost upon them and as much as she hated bundling herself up, the weather wasn't going to let up anytime soon.

She placed her sketchbook in her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, exiting the apartment and out into a brisk, cool autumn evening. The wind played with her hair, blowing the dark locks around her as she tightened the jacket around her shoulders, pushing any stray locks behind her ear.

The sky was a crystal blue today, contrasting vividly with the orange leaves and the warm color palette of autumn. Outside, the leaves crunched underfoot, the crackling sound somehow comforting.

Ayako breathed in the sweet air, hint of a smile tugging up her lips as she made her way down the busy street towards the park. There, she chose an unoccupied bench and looked around, noting the number of young children there with their families.

Despite San Fransokyo being a cutting edge city filled with the latest technology, it warmed her heart to think that people still appreciated the outdoors and prefer it rather than staying cooped up in their houses with their devices.

Her eyes landed on a large tree in the center of the park that cut an imposing figure against the periwinkle blue skies. She debated for a moment before taking out her sketchbook, perching it on her knee as she started sketching the outline of the tree.

She drew without hesitation, enjoying the warm sunlight on her skin and the laughter of children in the distance. Ayako was so caught up with drawing that she didn't realize the sky was starting to redden with the setting of the sun, only aware once the voices of the children faded and eventually petered out.

Looking around, she noticed that the park was almost empty and hastened to stand up, less she get stranded here without anyone around.

She snorted, silently chastising herself for not noticing her surroundings more.

"Maybe mom was right," she muttered under her breath as she picked up her backpack. "Maybe I really _do_  need to pay more attention to something else other than my drawings."

The streets were less crowded now with everyone heading for dinner or staying put at home as another day passed. Ayako was blissfully unaware as she strolled down the street, having done this almost every single day.

But somehow, something felt off today. She cast her eyes over her shoulder, gazing around at what could've caused that strange mixture of apprehension and fear that seemed to settle in her chest. It was as if someone were watching her, observing her every move.

Nothing looked out of place, and she shrugged, continuing on uneasily.

Footsteps sounded right behind her and she tensed up when she heard, "why, hey there sweet cheeks."

She turned around to find a lanky young man with a dyed blue mo-hawk staggering after her, smirking at the sight of a young woman alone in the darkening streets.

Ayako ignored him, thinking that if she pretended he didn't exist, maybe he would leave her alone.

She didn't know how wrong she could be.

"Come on now darling, stop ignoring me," he slurred.

The dark haired woman walked faster, hoping to lose him at the corner but the echoing footsteps behind told her otherwise.

"Can I have your number?"

"Are you free tomorrow?"

"Interested in having sex with me?"

Ayako gritted her teeth and ignored every single one of the suggestions, heart pounding a mile a minute in her rib cage.

Sudden loud running steps sounded and before she could react, the man had taken a hold of her wrist and spun her around.

She shrieked and kicked him, hitting his shin with an audible crack. The man groaned but held on and she could see his bloodshot eyes narrowing in anger.

"Why, you stupid bitch," he snarled. "All I ever wanted to ask was-"

A loud horn sounded, making him loosen his grip on her. Lights flashed and illuminated the area, causing her to shield her face in defense to the brightness.

"Why don't you leave her alone, now?"

_That voice..._

She squinted through the scooter's headlights and found herself staring at a  _very_  pissed off Tadashi.

The blue mo-hawk man let go of her arm and walked away, muttering under his breath. She could distinctly hear him say, "not worth it," a few times.

Ayako heaved a sigh of relief, turning around to face her rescuer.

"H-Hey," she greeted in shaky voice.

The lights died down and Tadashi placed his helmet on the scooter's seat.

"Are you okay?" He got up to stand beside her, the concern in his tone was palpable as his gaze swept over her, looking for any sign of injuries.

"I'm f-fine," she said although the tremor in her voice detracted from that statement. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Really."

Tadashi looked like he didn't buy it. She felt herself trembling and pulled her jacket closer, as if it could ward of the chill that the man's words elicited in her.

"What are you doing out here at this time?" Although she knew he was just being worried, she couldn't help but get the feeling that he seemed to be judging her. But she knew Tadashi wouldn't do that. He was too much of a nice guy.

"I-I just came back from an evening in the park – drawing, nothing much – and... well, met up with that creep."

Her explanation came out sheepish, not helped by the shaking in her voice.  _Come on Sorokin, pull yourself together,_  she mentally scolded.

His eyes softened and he placed a hand on her shoulder, not missing the way how her body was trembling.

"Let's get you home, okay?"

"Look, you don't have to do this, I'll be fine-"

"Ayako," he said and it came out sounding consternated, as if the thought of her walking home alone pained him. "Just let me help.  _Please_."

She opened her mouth to argue, but upon seeing his firm look, the words died in her throat.

Ayako sighed, lifting her arms up in surrender. "All right. Okay. Cool, let's go."

Tadashi gave her a small smile in reply and picked up a helmet, passing it over to her. She wordlessly followed him, slipping on the helmet and seating behind him as he started the red scooter up.

The vehicle moved in motion, wind whipping her hair and she inadvertently wrapped her arms around his torso for support.

"Were you coming down the same way too?" She asked over the loud thrumming of the scooter.

"Yeah," he replied, the wind distorting his voice a little. Ayako's grip tightened in response to the sudden lurch of the scooter, an unintentional squeal leaving her lips.

"You okay there?" He called in concern, as if expecting that she had hurt herself. Ayako shook her head before realizing that he couldn't see and said, "Yeah, fine. Just scared that I might get thrown off."

He chuckled at her words, relaxing his tight grip on the handles. "Never ridden before?"

"Once," she said and winced when they hit a particularly rough patch on the road. "A terrifying, not so great once."

Tadashi's shoulders shook with laughter and she was miffed that he was making light of her fear.

"Don't worry. You're in pretty good hands."

She felt her defenses weakening and she cracked a smile at his words. He got that much right.

"Thanks," she said and under her breath, whispered, "captain obvious."

No words passed between them as a flurry of shops, restaurants and bright colors zoomed by, and she had to blink a few times to stop her eyes from tearing. The last time she had ever ridden a bike was when she was three with her father, and the memory was still fresh in her mind, despite all these years.

She banished those thoughts, concentrating on not falling and turning her head to the side so that she could stop the whipping of wind in her face.

The scooter slowed down to a stop, just outside the steps of the apartment. Since the area was more low cost, the apartments didn't have a gated way, opening straight up to the stairs where anyone could climb up.

Her mother had once said that if she earned enough money, they could move down to one of the more better areas where there would be security and gates to protect them from the surroundings.

Ayako was grateful though, that the spread of crime in their area was limited and did not reach their place, for she didn't know what to do if the same thing that happened today were to repeat.

Tadashi switched off the engine and she got down, removing the helmet and passing it to him. The helmet had messed up her hair, making it stand in different directions and she grimaced as she tried to smooth it back again, all the while ignoring his smirk.

"Ugh," she muttered.

"Look who survived a hurricane."

She stuck her tongue out in petulance, causing him to laugh.

"You know what, I was just about to say 'thank you' but because of your wise crack, I'm taking it back now."

"There are other ways of saying 'thank you', you know?" He said, reaching out to tuck one stray strand of hair behind her ear. His touch sent static jolts on her skin, shocking her a little from his close proximity.

"Like what?" The tension between them was evident, and she realized then that she shouldn't have asked him such an obvious question.

He took a step back so as not to overwhelm her and shrugged.

"Say... a dinner date, maybe?"

Her face heated up and Tadashi hid a smile at the reddened blush covering her cheeks. She scowled at him, trying to appear in control.

"Are you honestly blackmailing me to go on a date with you?" Through her accusation, Ayako couldn't help but admire his shrewdness.

He made a face. "God, no, I won't do that. It's just a suggestion."

She seemed to think it over, purposely trying to make him feel uncomfortable. The young man flushed and gave her a pointed stare, eyebrows lifted in curiosity.

"Well?"

Ayako huffed a laugh and nodded. "Of course. We'll talk the details later, okay? Right now, I'm pretty sure my mum is walking a hole in the carpet waiting for me to come home."

"Sure." He relaxed, smiling easily now. "Tell me your plans."

A sudden rush of affection filled her heart and she couldn't help the way how her gaze softened at his shy suggestion. Ayako walked over to his side and threw her arms around him, pulling him into her embrace.

"Thank you, really," she said, voice muffled. Her head barely came to his shoulders so she had to turn her face away, cheek pressed against his chest. "I don't know what would've happened to me if you didn't come in time."

It must've been the combination of shock and immense relief in her system that allowed her to wrap her arms around him without fear of mortification. The only form of contact they've experienced was him touching her hand once and their impromptu hug in her room after the painting fiasco; genuinely, this form of embrace was as unexpected as it could be.

She could hear his breathing hitch, the way how his arms settled tentatively around her, unsure if he would be breaching her space. The situation was amusing because she was the one who was clinging on to him for dear life and yet Tadashi thought that  _he_  would be pushing her boundaries.

It was there and then that Ayako realized that she might have fallen for the young man before her, a good friend that fate seemed to have shown as a real blessing.

She pulled back, beaming brightly at him.

"You're welcome," Tadashi replied, surprising her by not stuttering. "Helping people is what I love to do."

The artist spared the inventor one last smile before she headed up the stairs, the enclosed space cutting him off from her sight.

The scooter's engine started up again and Ayako could hear him driving away, the sound a talisman of calm in her heart.

She took a deep breath and stared up at the darkening sky that held no stars, all because of the too bright lights in this futuristic, neon lighted pioneering city she now called home.

Gently, as if the words were butterflies against her lips, she whispered, "what did you get me into now, huh life?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating sooner, life just got super crazy and busy.  
> Tell me what you think?


	8. Ramen Dates and Witty Banter

His phone beeped with a text while he was busy testing out the first prototype of Baymax. So far, the robot had slapped him in the face, threatened to come after him with his 'squishy soft hugs' and cause a mass blackout in the lab that he was still apologizing for till today . And all within a span of a week. Tadashi rubbed his forehead as he exhaled tiredly, setting down his screwdriver with weary finality. He was so tired that he was going cross eyed, head throbbing with the amount of equations he had to compute today.

With a frown, he checked the message, back straightening and tiredness abating if not for a moment; happy to note that it was from her.

_'Since you so heroically saved me from sky-high blue hair back then, how about we meet for dinner at Suki's Ramen House? The one down fourth street near the record shop?'_

She had ended her message with a smiley face and somehow, that made him smile too, regardless of the bad day that he had been having.

Tadashi sighed and decided to call it a day, confident that maybe tomorrow would be his lucky try.

~~O~~O~~

He met her outside the restaurant where she was waiting. Ayako was dressed in her usual tank top and a cardigan, the thin material barely doing anything to keep her warm.

"You know, I nearly had frost bite on my fingers from just waiting here," she commented, rubbing her chilled hands together.

Tadashi wrinkled his nose in a poor rendition of an apology. "Um, sorry. Got kind of distracted at the lab."

She shrugged and gestured at the restaurant. "Ready to head in?"

He followed her into the pleasantly warm restaurant, smoke curling in the air from the hot bowls of soup. A spicy scent filled the air, mixed with the warm, homey smell of just made rice balls and the sea salt-brine of dried seaweed.

"If heaven was real, this would probably be what it smells like," the artist mused, choosing a booth by the side of the window that overlooked a record shop in the opposite street.

Tadashi huffed a laugh at her words. "That's what I thought too."

Under the glare of the white light, she could just make out the dark shadows underneath his eyes and the five o'clock shadow. His posture was slumped, as if he hadn't had a decent amount of sleep in these past few days. Knowing that he had been busy building Baymax, that was probably the reason.

"Hey, are you okay? Fairy godmother forgot to inject you with an extra dose of handsome today?"

"Ha. Ha. Very funny."

His sarcasm drew a smile from her.

"Then what's up? You look like you just crossed the desert of desolation or something." The young woman didn't mean to pry but she couldn't wrap her head around the difference in Tadashi. Just a few days ago, he had been radiating vitality and today, he could barely keep his eyes open.

"You wanna rain check on this dinner date?" She asked, a little disgruntled that they had to end the dinner date before it even began. But if that meant keeping his welfare safe, she wouldn't mind.

Tadashi's eyes widened in surprise. "What?  _No._ I've been waiting for this for almost three days. Don't mind me, I'll be fine."

"Really? Because you look like you're one second away from splashing face first in ramen soup and drowning a horribly salty death."

Tadashi touched his face, the dry humor in her statement going over his head. "Do I really look that bad?"

She pressed her lips together to suppress a smile and shook her head. "A little bit tired but still the same Tadashi I know."

"Good then," he said, mustering a grin. "Trust me, I'm fine. I haven't seen you in a few days and I really wanted to talk and hang out."

"Okay," she mused. "Just don't fall asleep when we make out or something, all right?"

His head shot up at her words, look of hopeful apprehension written on his face. "Are you really saying you wanted to make out?"

"Nope. That was just to get you awake. And hey, it worked."

He leveled an unamused glare at her and she grinned sheepishly.

"Girl, you're cold."

~~O~~O~~

Their meal came in the middle of a joke and Ayako had to stop less she lose the momentum of her punchline.

Once the waitress was gone, Tadashi leaned forward, resuming back their conversation. "And what did Lucy say?"

She grinned and went back the pacing of her jokes. "And... she totally thought we were talking about how Captain America's ass looked good in his tights when the professor was really talking about war propaganda in our world history class."

He snorted back laughter, prying his chopsticks apart. "That's crazy."

"No," she retorted without missing a beat, "the people I hang out with are crazy."

She took a bite of her noodles, the springy crunch of seaweed delightful on her taste-buds. Ayako could see that Tadashi was slowly coming back to himself with every joke that passed between the both of them. He was less distracted and more involved in the conversation, eyes shedding that deadened look.

He looked good today, she admitted. He had on a white shirt under his beige cardigan with a grey blazer, cap ever present. Although, something about him seemed more disheveled today, less put together and more natural.

"So, how's the project coming along?"

He shrugged, returning his attention to the meal. "Great. I think."

"Hmm?"

"Well, if you could call getting slapped by Baymax as great."

She didn't mean to laugh at his words but she did, attempting to smother the giggles with her palm and sorely failing. "He... he  _what?_ "

Tadashi rolled his eyes, smirk in place. "He slapped me. And that was  _only_ the seventh test."

"Seven?" Ayako gasped in surprise. "I wasn't even aware you made it passed  _ten_ _._ "

He disregarded her surprise with a wave of his hand. "Ach, it's all mostly just correcting the programming at this point, nothing much."

Ayako cocked a brow but didn't say anymore, silently impressed.

"You're going to show that to Hiro when its done?"

Tadashi grinned at the mention of his brother, nodding. "Yup. Little guy's gonna freak out."

She smiled wistfully at him, "I'll bet, what with that sick invention."

"You should really meet him one day, you'll love him," Tadashi said, going into big brother mode now when he had the chance. "He's a smart kid, pretty sweet too if he knows you well and if he trusts you."

"He sounds wonderful," the artist commented, already trying to imagine how his younger brother would look like. Would he have Tadashi's jaw and same hair? Were they both mega geniuses with the want to change the world?

She didn't know, and somehow, she would just have to see for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is like chocolate. They make me happy and more creatively inclined to stop procrastinating and start writing.


	9. KISSING

"Hey, Tadashi, we're heading out for dinner," Fred said, popping his head through the inventor's personal lab door sometime later in the evening. "Wanna come with us?"

Tadashi looked up from the rough sketch he was studying with a shake of his head. "Sorry, I have other plans."

His heart skipped a beat at the thought of his 'other plans', knowing that he was about to meet up with Ayako again for dinner at her favorite Japanese fast food restaurant. Tadashi could barely wait, the weight of missing her pressing on his chest as the last time he had seen her was two days ago. Sure they had text messages and brief video calls, but none of that could compare to the real thing.

Fred shrugged, not suspecting anything. "It's cool, have fun."

The inventor grinned at his friend's words, already storing his pencils back and moving to clean up the lab and get ready for his date.

"Will do," he replied amicably.

~~O~~O~~

The evening had generally been going well for the both of them. Tadashi was having fun, sitting across from Ayako as she regaled him with another funny story that he couldn't help but laugh to. They were both enclosed in their own world, engrossed in the conversation.

"And that's when I realized that my professor was being serious and I had just dissed the poor woman on historical art. She never looked at me the same again."

He chuckled, twisting the straw of his drink. Tadashi was about to retort when the doors of the restaurant opened, admitting the whole gang. He nearly smacked his forehead when he remembered that they had invited him out for dinner and he had declined, saying other plans had came up.

And now his friends were here, scanning the area for an available seat. He flattened himself against the booth's cushion, attempting to remain inconspicuous, eyes alighting with panic that made Ayako stop and stare at him in confusion.

"And then, I...'Dashi, are you okay?"

However, his actions were futile as it was Fred who noticed him first.

The comic book enthusiast narrowed his eyes and started waving excitedly.

"Hey, Tadashi! Guys, look who's here."

He contemplated making a run for it, but everyone had already seen him and were making their way over.

Ayako noticed his gaze stuck on something beyond her shoulder and turned, catching sight of a group of people staring at her in surprise, as if they hadn't expected her to be there. Mentally, she wondered if she had a piece of apple pie stuck in her hair or if her head had suddenly transformed into a tomato, what with the varying degrees of astonished expressions on their faces.

"Well, now we know what our captain meant when he said he had other plans," Fred commented after a beat of silence, raising a brow conspiratorially.

She jerked her head towards them, subtly mouthing, "who are they?"

He cleared his throat, plastering on a smile. "Guys, hi. This is Ayako. She's a student from the Art Institute."

Fred bounded over, clasping her hand in his and shaking it enthusiastically.

"Hi, I'm Fred."

She grinned at his excitement, wringing her wrists when he let go to get the blood flowing. "Hi, nice to meet you."

"And this is Honey, GoGo and Wasabi."

He gestured to the other three and her expression lighted up.

"Oh, hey. Tadashi talks about you guys a lot."

The tall one with the pink rimmed glasses – whom she presumed was Honey – walked over and extended her hand, bright smile in place.

"Hi! I hope he's been saying nice things." She took the other girl's hand, shaking it with a grin, "all the very best. And some pretty hilarious." Ayako instantly liked the other girl, her bubbly happiness being absolutely contagious.

The other two were the last to introduce themselves and Ayako's face broke out in a grin when she met GoGo.

"Tadashi mentioned you once, said you were an adept engineer with the knack for...disabling sound systems."

GoGo smirked and looked to her friend, Tadashi pressing his lips together to keep from laughing. "You told her the Prime 9 story?"

"Yup."

"Wait, so it was you who messed with my sound system?" Fred asked, looking indignant.

The short girl with a purple streak in her hair didn't care to answer, chewing her gum coolly.

"Bet he told you the wasabi story too?" The burly man with dreadlocks asked, looking slightly fearful.

She chuckled and nodded. "Yes. He did."

"Darn you, Hamada."

Tadashi had the audacity to laugh, shaking his head.

Ayako relaxed against the booth seat, less intimidated by the unexpected crowd now that Tadashi's friends had established that they were pretty nice people.

"Hey, you guys searching for a table?"

"Yeah." GoGo said, and she suddenly felt the need to scoot over and make some space for them.

"Oh, we wouldn't want to bother you," Honey added hastily to GoGo's blunt answer, not wanting to interrupt them both.

"It's okay, you can share with us, we were just talking about our projects," Ayako stated, looking over to Tadashi.

He didn't seem to mind, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Oh come on, guys. It's clear they're on date which – Tadashi forgot to mention because we didn't even know if he was seeing a girl – and we wouldn't want to interrupt them," Fred said, pulling them all to a separate booth. "See you guys!"

Ayako could only give an amused small wave, watching as the group shared smirks and excited whispers with one another.

She turned back to him and leaned forward, as if to impart a very important secret. He mirrored her action, looking suddenly attentive as if she was about to tell him where to find leprechauns.

"I really, really like your friends."

He pulled back with a snort of laughter, unsure of what to say.

One things for certain, they would definitely attempt to get a story out of him even before he set foot in the lab tomorrow.

~~O~~O~~

And he was right. Barely a few minutes since he entered his personal studio the very next day, the door flew open, much to his shock. He heaved a sigh of relief but resumed his agitation when he saw it was the gang, each of them wearing various expressions of sly amusement.

"Spill, Hamada. Where did you meet her and how long have you been dating?" Fred said, leading the way in. The lab felt overcrowded, and he had to move back a little to make space. Tadashi scowled, hoping that they would get the message but they didn't, each of them looking at him expectantly.

"What?" He asked, a little exasperated.

"Do you really want me to repeat that?"

He sighed, hoping that by stalling, they would get bored and leave. But they didn't, and if possible, looked even more determined to stay.

"Guys, maybe we should just leave him alone," Honey stated, sensing his discomfort.

He sighed, knowing that he owed his friends at least a little explanation.

"No. Wait. Okay, I'm only going to say this once; I met her in the cafe when she was hanging back to do her work, we talked, hit it off, shared our ideas and now...we're just really close friends."

Wasabi looked doubtful. "Close friends? Really? You guys seem close all right, but definitely not just friends."

Tadashi shrugged, clearing his throat. "Well, we are so there's that."

"You mean you didn't ask her to be your girlfriend yet?" Honey asked, looking disappointed.

He gave her an incredulous look. "And  _whose_  side are you on?"

"The logical one,  _duh._ "

Tadashi seemed flustered and he had to look anywhere else besides his friend's prodding gazes. "I-It just never came up and...and I don't know, everything is so natural that...I can't explain but-"

"Dude, stop, before you give yourself an aneurysm," GoGo commented, watching with subdued worry the blush staining all the way down his neck. He looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown what with all their questions.

"But  _why_  didn't you tell us?" Fred whined. "We could've had so much ammo against you, bro.  _So much._ "

"Because I won't hear the end of it," he grumbled, ducking his head, letting the bill of his cap cover the bright flush on his cheeks.

"Now that you mentioned it..."

Fred inched his way towards the outside lab where some students were casually milling around, pacing about and minding their own business, the robotic floor steadily increasing in volume as the day was starting.

Tadashi's face blanched and he watched as Fred stood outside the door, grinning manically.

"W-What's he doing?"

"Announcing, that's what," Honey replied, covertly taking out her phone, grin in place.

"Wait-"

Fred took a deep breath and started flailing his arms without a care in the world.

"Tadashi and Ayako sitting in a tree," he bellowed, much to the other students' surprise and amusement.

"God, help me," Tadashi groaned, already moving to pull his friend in.

" _K-I-_ "

He grabbed Fred by his collar, but the other boy pushed his hand away, grasping the door frame for leverage.

" _K-I-S-S-_ "

"Fred, no!" Tadashi whisper-yelled, looking around with wide eyes. "Stop or someone will hear and-"

" _-I-N-G!_ " He finished in a sing song voice.

" _First come love-!_ "

Tadashi glared, using all of his strength as he pulled the other boy in, causing Fred to lose his grip and land squarely on the inventor's chest.

He wheezed, Fred's elbow catching his gut and knocking all the breath out of him.

Fred continued, oblivious. " _Then come marriage._ "

Tadashi tried to swat his mouth shut but Fred deftly avoided him, sight of the two boys wrestling on the floor one to behold. Honey had her phone out, taking photo after photo while giggling like a maniacal pixie.

"God, this is gold!" She practically screeched in excitement.

" _Last come baby in a_  – oof." Tadashi had managed to elbow Fred's gut, cutting him off but the other boy would not be deterred.

" _The baby in a freaking carriage_  – God, I'm done! I'm done! Somebody, help!" He yelped when he felt Tadashi poking his side viciously, his cap flying towards the other side of the room during the scuffle.

"Help! Get him off me!"

"No," Tadashi cut in and, despite the immaturity of the situation, he couldn't help but start laughing. "You deserve it and-"

"What's going on here?"

The voice of Professor Callaghan made them stop and pull away, scrambling up. Everyone fell silent, eyes turned towards the frowning teacher by the doorway.

Callaghan observed the situation with a frown.

"Would anyone care to explain all this racket?"

Tadashi was immediately contrite, ready to burst out in full apology when Fred cut in and blurted out, "Tadashi has a girlfriend, sir. Please congratulate him."

The professor relaxed his stern glare and chuckled.

"Why, I can see why that's such an achievement," he commented dryly. Callaghan smirked slightly, studying his favorite student.

"Congratulations, Tadashi. But please, don't use this as an excuse to cause a scuffle – in a lab, no less."

And just like that, Callaghan turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the gang in a stunned silence.

"Huh...you know your love life is in a crisis mode when even a professor congratulates you on getting a girlfriend."

Tadashi leveled a glare at Fred. "You could have gotten us in trouble." The comic book nerd immediately looked sheepish and, despite the irritation he felt at having his whole love life revealed to the robotics floor, he couldn't stay mad at him forever.

He sighed, knowing that staying angry at his friends would be a dying fight.

"Next time," he grumbled, "use the PA system instead, less showy."

Fred grinned like the goofball he was. "Roger that, captain."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love The Nerd Team interactions. Fred, you adorkable son of mine.
> 
> Reviews are like warm hugs and Baymax digs it.


	10. Hiro's Reproach

Hiro's suspicions were confirmed when he heard laughter coming from the basement. Tadashi had been acting weird lately, smiling to himself, spending innumerable minutes in the basement and still needing to head down there to finish his programming. The teen knew his brother; knew that he wouldn't come out from the lab sporadically. Tadashi was always one to see his projects through, sometimes emerging from the basement after a long night or – at most – a few days.

And this had been going on for almost two weeks now, always in the middle of the week and sometimes on Friday.

His actions made Hiro curious and now he knew.

He peeked over the wall, watching how close his brother stood next to that girl. He had only seen her once or twice in cafe when it was his turn to waiter, and the one thing he remembered was that she had the most unusual eyes for someone who was mixed blood.

And now here they were, blissfully unaware that they were being watched.

"How about a seperate dancing chip?" He could hear her tease.

"Now that would be an idea," his brother hummed. "Although I don't think dancing helps promote better emotional and physical health."

"You're joking right? Dancing  _so_ does that."

"It hasn't been researched!"

In answer, he twirled her, the girl laughing breathlessly.

"Well," she said, grinning. "That made me happy indeed. See, it totally works."

And on and on they went, not even realizing that he was a spectator to their banter. Hiro could see that Tadashi was really taken with that girl; that big, dopey grin of his could attest to that.

He had meant to sneak away quietly to lick his wounds, hurt that his brother had broken his promise of letting him be the first to look at his project.

Hiro felt bitter. Why did that girl get to spend all her time with his brother and he only had to see Tadashi when he was free? And why did she get to have a hand in building Baymax? It's not as if she were smart in robotics or anything, that much he could glean from her suggestions.

An involuntary snort escaped his lips and Hiro cupped a hand over his mouth, sure that he had been caught.

Sure enough, the voices stopped talking and he tried to make a run for it when a shadow fell over him.

Tadashi was staring at him, brown eyes wide. "Hiro? W-What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." He didn't mean for the accusation to leak in his tone but he couldn't help it. Tadashi had broken his promise.

"Well, uh, you found me," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, looking guilty in a way that Hiro knew he ought to feel.

"Tadashi, is everything okay?"

The young woman came into view, doing a double take when she saw him. A kind smile appeared on her face and she said, "oh, you must be Hiro. Nice to finally meet you. Your brother talks about you all the-"

"Yeah, whatever." Hiro didn't why he had just snubbed her like that but the anger in his chest was hard to ignore and subdue. Who did she think she was, barging in like that and stealing his brother away?

"Hiro!" Tadashi was aghast at his brother's actions. Just what had gotten into him? He turned back to the young woman.

"Ayako, I'm so sorry, Hiro isn't usually like that-"

"Yeah, I'm not, but you know what? I don't care anymore." With those callously uttered words, he turned on his heel and stalked back up the stairs, ignoring the shock and hurt on his brother's face.

If he wanted to be a liar and a traitor to their pack, then so be it.

~~O~~O~~

The silence Hiro left behind fell cold and awkward, and he could only watch as his little brother stalked up the stairs in an obvious rage.

He turned back to Ayako, noting her stunned expression and shook his head.

"'Yako, I'm sorry for how he acted, I don't know what's gotten into him-"

"Hey, it's okay," she said, recovering herself. "You should probably check why he's so upset."

Tadashi felt a beat of compassion in his heart for her. Hiro was usually a nice kid and would greet everyone with a smile or a handshake; Ayako did not definitely deserve to see his worse side.

He nodded at her suggestion and headed up, muttering a quick, "wait here," to her.

The young inventor took the stairs two at a time, reaching their room in a matter of minutes.

"Hiro?"

The room was silent and Tadashi mentally despaired. He wondered if he had to spend the rest of the night placating his brother to forgive him... for whatever it was that he did wrong.

"Hiro? Where are you? We need to talk."

He approached the lump on the bed, finding it not moving and he sighed, sitting on the edge of his brother's bed.

"Hiro?" When his brother didn't answer, he started getting desperate. "Yo, earth to genius. Come in genuis."

The lump moved and his brother threw back the sheets, already messy hair chaotic. Hiro didn't meet his gaze, preferring to glare at a point over his brother's head.

"What?"

Tadashi huffed. "What do you mean 'what'? What was up with you back there, huh?"

"Nothing," the teen muttered.

"Sure as hell didn't look like nothing."

Tadashi cringed at the swear word, hoping that his little brother didn't notice. The young man would never swear unless he was under stress and the sudden curse made him disconcerted.

"Leave it, Tadashi," Hiro grumbled.

He gave a humorless laugh. Did he really think that he was just going to leave it at that?

"What's wrong, buddy?"

When Hiro didn't answer, he decided on a new technique.

"Hey, if there's anything you want to tell me, you can, all right?" His words were kind, tone soft. "You don't have to keep everything inside-"

"You promised me, Tadashi," the younger Hamada blurted out.

Tadashi was startled at the fiery rage in his brother's usual calm demeanor. "What-"

"You said that I would be the first to look at your work and you just let... you just let her in first and – I mean come on! I know the thought of your nerd projects is boring and all that but you promised and-"

"I get it, I get it," Tadashi said. "You're mad cause I let her had a look at Baymax first before you."

Hiro's mouth snapped shut from his near retort and he nodded.

Tadashi heaved a sigh and scrubbed a hand down his face, thinking of the right words to say to reassure his brother.

"Look, I'm really sorry okay. I didn't know you felt this way."

"Well, I did and-"

"Wait, I'm not done yet," he said, lifting up a hand to stop his words. "And I will let you have the first look at Baymax when the time comes, okay? You didn't have to be rude to a stranger to prove your point."

He watched in surprise as Hiro hung his head in what appeared to be bashful shame, muttering under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I said I'm sorry, okay?" His tone was defensive.

"That's great, but I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

Hiro heaved a deep sigh. Tadashi extended a hand towards him, intending to pull him up and bring him back down to the basement to apologize to Ayako.

The teen batted his hand away but stood up, stalking towards the stairs.

Tadashi couldn't help the proud smile he wore on his face behind his brother's back.

Maybe his two important people could warm up to each soon. He hoped.

~~O~~O~~

Ayako fidgeted with her purse strap, fingers moving to lace with one another as she waited for him.

Should she go?

Nobody likes being the main reason for a conflict and she was no exception.

Honestly, she didn't know what she had said to that kid to make him mad but she can surely say that he was probably angry at his brother.

And for what?

The questions swirled in her mind and her heart wrenched with guilt, flight instinct taking root in her mind. If she could just leave, maybe things would be easier. Heck, maybe the kid would forgive her.

Light footsteps sounded and she quickly stood up from the couch, expecting to see Tadashi.

Instead, it was Hiro who emerged from behind the wall, stopping by the opening.

He lifted his gaze to her shyly.

"Um, hi?"

"Hi," she said, feeling the nervous tension like a band around her chest.

The teen was painfully awkward around her, coughing slightly and looking anywhere but her.

Ayako opened her mouth, wanting to apologize when he beat her to it.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said this now, I didn't mean it. I was mad at my brother, not you and... I'm really sorry." She could tell his apology was genuine as he looked morose, shoulders sagging and lips pulled down in a frown.

Her eyes softened at his shy disposition. "It's quite all right, Hiro."

He perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah," she said, mouth tugging into a smile.

Hiro chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, reminding her of the same action Tadashi would do whenever he felt awkward or sheepish.

"So, I guess we're cool, then?"

"Of course," Ayako replied brightly.

The teen gave a sigh of relief, having gone over this mortifying scene.

"You're dating my brother then?" His words came out teasing and he had a feeling that she knew he was just trying to fill in the empty, tense silence with something light-hearted.

She chuckled.

"No. No, I'm not. We're just really good friends."

That seemed to have confused Hiro. Really good friends? They didn't seem like it.

What good friends stayed up late texting each other, visiting the lab almost every week, and talked to each other like that? He could see that Tadashi and this girl had an easy going relationship, as evident from their banter just a few minutes ago.

He shrugged, having not come to a conclusion.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Hiro," she said, kind smile in place once more. She was as diplomatic and patient and his brother, and – the teen was hard pressed to admit it – he could see why they instantly clicked.

Not that he would actually tell Tadashi that. There were a few things you just couldn't say to a sibling.

"Yeah, you too," he said and he meant it. She was a really nice girl and he felt a sliver of guilt for his less than friendly first impression.

Hiro gave her one last awkward smile and disappeared behind the wall, where Tadashi stood waiting for him, arms folded across his front. His expression softened and a smile wormed its way on his lips as he leaned down and ruffled his hair.

"You did good."

"Yeah, yeah," Hiro grumbled. "Now can I please just go back upstairs?"

Tadashi grinned and released his brother, nodding.

"Sure, bonehead."

~~O~~O~~

"So I heard he apologized to you?"

Ayako lifted her head at the sound of his voice, shrugging slightly.

"Yeah, I guess. He's pretty adorable so I gave him no extra flake whatsover."

"Careful," Tadashi warned, eyebrows lifted up, "he tends to blind people with that innocence of his."

She grinned at his words. "Like someone I know," the young woman said in a sing-song voice.

Tadashi looked afronted. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Sheepishly shaking her head, she turned so that he couldn't see twinkle in her eyes.

"Maybe."

Tadashi came to stand in front of her, smirking. "I'll have you know I'm perfectly innocent."

Her dark blue eyes widened, and she mirrored his smirk.

"Suit yourself," she remarked.

He changed the topic. "At least you guys made up. The Force knows the trouble I would be in."

"The Force?" She asked, amused. "I notice you say that a lot."

Tadashi cleared his throat, eyes dropping to the ground with such an endearing bashfulness. "I mean, I really do like Star Wars."

Ayako's eyebrows raised in surprise. She should've known that he would interested in a movie like that.

"I would've penned you as a Lord of The Rings type."

"I haven't watched it before. Is it good?"

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean you've never...?"

Tadashi straightened the bill of his cap, looking sheepish. "Nope, never."

"Hamada?"

Without skipping a beat, he replied, "Sorokin?"

She grinned, something about the way he said her surname making her heart flip in her chest.

"You are such an adorable dork, you know that?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Hiro approves...sort of. The next chapter would hold more Hamada brothers and Ayako bonding. Just as a heads up.
> 
> Your reviews make my day and are as welcoming as a warm cup of chocolate on a cold morning.
> 
> Fun fact: I haven't watched Lord of The Rings yet. Just thought I'd put it out there.


	11. Ice Cream and Nice Things

Tadashi thought over whether he should get through with this. If everything backfired, he would not only have effectively scared away a girl he was interested in, but also freak his brother out.

He was, if not, a determined young man whose heart was in the right place.

Still, it could have the possibility of not turning out the way he wanted.

There was just one way to find out.

"We're going for...ice cream?"

Tadashi nodded, saying, "yeah, as a treat for your graduation," amicably.

Little did his brother know, he had also invited Ayako along, to which she also didn't know about the extra company. He knew it was a huge risk, but imagining the payoff if both of them had some bonding time, it was all well worth it. He didn't have to split his time between them and feel guilty for spending too much time with one or the other.

At least, that's what he hoped.

Tadashi parked the scooter and removed his helmet, placing it on the seat. Hiro did the same, small smirk in place.

"Man, and here I thought you wouldn't want to treat me for my graduation."

He snorted. "Then you were wrong."

Hiro didn't seem to hear, entering the ice cream parlor with an excited grin. Tadashi shook his head, following him suit. Sometimes, it tend to slip out of his mind that his brother, despite being a super genius, was as much a kid as the next fourteen year old was.

The smell of just baked wafers and vanilla greeted him like an old friend and he stopped for a moment to inhale. His eyes scanned the parlor and noticed a familiar wave of dark hair. He tapped Hiro's shoulder and pointed at the young woman.

"Hey, look, Ayako's here."

Hiro lifted his brow, mischievous smile growing on his lips. "Cool, go say hi. Just give me the money since I presume you wouldn't want any distractions."

Tadashi shrugged, pretending to contemplate on his choices.

"How about I ask her if its okay to share a table?"

Hiro nodded, attention more focused on the ice cream. "Yeah, whatever."

He passed some money to his brother and sauntered over to Ayako. She peeked up at his approach, pocketing her phone that she had been observing before he came.

"Hey," he said, taking the seat opposite of her.

"Hey," she replied brightly. "Thought you got lost on your way or something."

He gave her a friendly smile. "As if I could get lost. Um, I have something to tell you."

Maybe he should talk about Hiro instead of springing him up on her like that, giving her a warning before catching her off guard.

"'Yako, listen. We're not alone today. My brother is-"

"Got the ice cream!" Hiro walked over to them, two sundaes in hand. He grinned at Ayako, who wore a slight look of surprise.

"Hiro, hi," she said, putting on a smile after she recovered. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting ice cream with Tadashi," he replied, pulling out a chair and sitting. "How about you?"

Tadashi threw her a panicked look, one that said, 'I'm sorry I can explain.' She replied with an exasperated glare but went along with it.

"Um, just needed a new place to find inspiration. Finals are coming up and I need to think of what I'm going to animate."

Hiro took a bite of the ice cream, looking thoughtful. "You're studying art?"

She wrinkled her brow. "Now you put it like that... yeah, although studying sounds pretty weird when you pair it with art."

"Any ambitions?"

Ayako couldn't help but chuckle at the wide, innocent look on his face.

"Hmm, I've always wanted to be a comic book artist and at the same time open my own gallery," she said.

"Cool."

"How about you?"

"Building robots," the young teen said with a shrug.

She chanced a look at his older brother to find him smirking discreetly. The things she wanted to iron out with him right now...

But Ayako cleared her throat, determined to get something out of this.

"Building robots, huh? Which kind?"

"Fighting ones," he said, as if it were obvious. "What else could there be?"

"How about robots that fight monsters?" Ayako asked, feeling amused at the enthusiasm suddenly lighting up his features.

"Could be too, but I don't think it would be legal."

Tadashi coughed into his hand, the words sounding like, "too darn right." She had to stifle a laugh at the petulance on Hiro's face.

"Well, I think they're really interesting and if you build anything like that, I wouldn't mind having a look." Hiro nodded, taking her up on her offer.

Tadashi decided to interject with a thoughtful, "hey, let me go get some ice cream for you," to her.

She quickly shook her head, looking sheepish. "It's okay, enjoy yours. I'll go get it by-"

"I insist," he replied smoothly, standing up and promptly leaving them alone.

"He set you up to this, didn't he?" Hiro asked, dropping all pretense as he fixed her a pointed look the moment Tadashi was out of earshot.

She raised her arms up in exasperation. "Does it look like I had a clue? No."

"Well, I think I know why," Hiro said, giving her an unnerving stare.

"What?"

"I think that knucklehead wants us to bond."

She snorted, eyes widening in disbelief. "By setting us up on a blind date?"

Hiro chuckled at her words, thrown off by her sudden humor.

"I didn't give him that idea so don't look at me like that."

Ayako brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, shrugging. "Well, since we're already here, let's just make the most out of it."

Hiro raised a brow but didn't say anything else. He thought he had already established that he would be fine with Ayako, but apparently, it wasn't enough for his brother.

"So, how long have you been studying art?"

She huffed a laugh. "Ever since I could grip a pencil. My mother wanted me to take a course in microbiology but I took an art course instead. At the Art Institute."

"You mean that cool place that looks like an old castle?" Hiro's eyes held a sliver of bright excitement and she couldn't help the hint of pride at the thought of her college.

"Yeah, bought and restored from a wealthy family during the eighteen hundreds."

"I've always thought that the college looked pretty cool."

Ayako smiled at that, "You should see it from the inside. It's almost like a museum."

"Are outsiders even allowed in there?" He asked, apprehensive.

"Yeah, just have another student with you," she replied casually.

Hiro snorted. "At least it's better than my brother's college-"

Tadashi took this opportunity to return with her ice cream, eyebrows raised at the mention of S.F.I.T.

"What is it about my college?"

Hiro gave him an innocent look. "Just telling her that it looks like a futuristic egg from far."

Tadashi leveled him with a look that left Hiro rubbing the back of his neck.

"You know it's true!"

"Whatever."

Despite the unexpected turn of the evening, Ayako was having a great time, gaze moving back and forth as Tadashi and Hiro bantered it out, squeezing a few chuckles from her at the most absurd arguments.

"Your head looks like an egg."

"Oh, that's original," Hiro commented drily.

Ayako shook her head, taking a bite of her ice cream. Caramel pecan fudge. How did he know that it was her second favorite flavor?

~~O~~O~~

Hiro thought that Ayako was pretty cool, as evident by her amused disposition at the brother's petty argument. Most people would roll their eyes and try to intervene but she sat like a tennis spectator, watching them back and forth.

She indulged him with the mention of her favorite childhood anime, which turned out as his favorite too.

"You liked Cybernatic Animal Junkyard too?" He asked, in disbelief.

The young woman nodded, lips pressed together in amusement. "Yeah, it was my favorite afternoon cartoon."

"Mine too," Hiro said, eyes wide in pleasant surprise.

"Although the remake lacked the original spunk of the characters," Ayako commented off-handedly.

Hiro jerked his head towards Tadashi, smirking. "He likes the remake."

She glanced at him in disbelief, to which Tadashi lifted his hands up in mock surrender.

"Whoa, whoa. What's with all this hostility?"

"Because you're lame," Hiro supplied, to which Ayako tried very hard not to laugh at.

"I just think the designs are cuter," he said.

"Yeah, but it undermines their badass-ery."

Ayako had to nod at the teen's words. "I have to agree with him. RB-1 was way better in the original. At least he didn't sound like an electronic chipmunk."

"So true."

"Whatever you say," Tadashi snorted. "I thought I'd never see the day when I'm judged for the anime I watch."

"Well, too bad," Hiro said, to which Ayako added, "sucks to be you."

He gave them both a flippant look.

~~O~~O~~

The conversation started petering out and Tadashi decided that he needed to get Hiro back home, since his brother's graduation would be tomorrow.

"Come on, genius. You still have to brush up on your speech."

"A speech?" Ayako asked, and Hiro blushed a faint pink.

"Um... I got chosen to be valedictorian."

He had expected her to laugh or callously cut him off like other kids, but she merely fixed him with a look of bright disbelief. It melted into a wide smile and she laughed slightly.

"Wow kid. Genius extraordinaire, robot enthusiast and valedictorian? You got it going on, Hiro."

He returned her smile with a bashful one. "Thanks, Ayako."

She grinned and ruffled his hair, something that would normally put him on edge since he didn't exactly like people touching his hair. But when she did it...he didn't feel as defensive as he thought he would.

Maybe it was because she did it out of pride and amusement, much like how Tadashi would when he did something amazing.

"You're a pretty talented kid, Hiro. If you were my brother, I would be immensely proud of you," she said, all sincerity. Okay, now he was really starting to like her.

"Would you...would you like to come for the graduation?"

Her expression faltered and for one, terrifying second, he thought that she would decline. But she recovered and shot Tadashi an unsure look.

"Will I be intruding on a family moment?"

"Oh... it's all right."

She gave Hiro a tentative smile, not knowing what else to say besides, "Sorry."

Hiro shrugged, an adorable furrow on his brow. "Never mind. Come on," he looked to Tadashi. "Aren't you going to send me home yet?"

Tadashi pressed his lips together to keep from smiling and nodded. "Sure, just give me a moment."

Hiro looked back and forth to the two young adults and conceded, walking over to the scooter.

"Just don't say too much lovey-dovey stuff. Underage here."

Ayako shook her head at his words, although a small blush stained her cheeks. Tadashi cleared his throat and she turned to look at him.

"So..."

"At least that went well."

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, mumbling, "I thought it would be great idea, that's all."

"To put me on a blind date with your brother?"

He jerked up, embarrassed and horrified at the same time. "No! I mean, it wasn't a blind date, it was... it was..."

"A litmus test?" She asked, smirking.

Tadashi gave a forced laugh, hoping against hope that she wasn't mad with him. Heaven knows that he would have to spend a long time trying to convince her that it was in both of their interests that he had them meet for tonight.

But her face broke out in a grin and she glanced over wistfully at Hiro, who stood, oblivious to the attention he was receiving.

"He's a great kid."

He smirked. "Told you so."

"Well, you could have told me that I would be meeting him tonight so there's that..."

Tadashi grimaced. "I'm so sorry."

She shrugged. "Don't be, I liked meeting him."

"I could see that, what with you both ganging up against me," he replied in a miffed tone.

Ayako grinned. "Hey, at least he liked me better. Honestly, I feel so good, as if the divorcee's kid likes me."

Tadashi's eyes widened and he barked a surprised laugh. "Divorcee?"

She shrugged, looking nonchalant as she said, "well, it does kinda feel like I'm dating a divorcee and have to win over his kid."

Tadashi shook his head, amusement written on his face.

"Well, at least I now have experience in case the same thing happens in the future."

~~O~~O~~

Tadashi couldn't have been more proud of his brother. Hiro walked down the stage in his graduation gown and tasseled cap, smiling bashfully as he approached his family.

The older brother squeezed his shoulders, wearing a proud smile.

"Hey, you were great up there."

"At least I didn't fall," Hiro said, eyes sparkling and cheeks pink from the speech he had given.

Aunt Cass pulled Hiro into one of her bear hugs, catching the young teen off guard. "I'm so proud for you, honey," she said, voice muffled by his hair.

"Thanks auntie," Hiro said, a little embarrassed but otherwise grinning from ear to ear.

Tadashi looked around at the open field. Hundreds of graduates were milling around with their family members, chatting animatedly and taking lots of pictures, the whole atmosphere pleasantly charged.

He smirked and turned to ruffle his younger brother's hair when he removed the cap, earning an indignant yelp from Hiro.

"What was that for?"

Tadashi's eyes glimmered with mirth. "For good luck."

They walked down the road, Aunt Cass announcing that she would close the cafe and head down for lunch at a Cantonese restaurant she had booked as a treat.

The inventor kept an eye on his brother, noting his wistful expression. He knew how much high school was a sore spot for Hiro, him being the youngest in their school and often overlooked, if not underestimated. His younger brother had refused to go to prom that the school was hosting tonight in a hotel, saying that he didn't feel up to it.

A sliver of compassion arose in his chest for his brother.

Tadashi knew that the reason why he didn't want to go to prom wasn't because he didn't 'feel like it'. He was afraid that they would push him to the sideline, leaving him ignored, much like how he had felt for the first two years in high school.

Tadashi patted Hiro's shoulder, shaking him out of his reverie. Hiro arched a brow, expression questioning.

He shook his head, small smile in place as they exited the school grounds.

"Just removing a speck of lint there."


	12. Nerd-traction

Hiro kept one eye peeled on Tadashi's bed, waiting for his brother to get down to the basement or either fall asleep. His older brother was humming under his breath, ear buds stuck in place and not paying attention to him.

For tonight, Hiro was glad that his attention was on something else.

Tadashi balanced some books in his arms, music player in the other hand as he made his way down the stairs, leaving the teen alone.

Hiro waited, counting down the minutes, and stood up from the bed when he confirmed that Tadashi wouldn't notice. He pulled on his hoodie and tiptoed to the window, bot in hand.

He pried open the window, putting one foot before the other, grabbing the gutter to steady himself. Hiro stuck Megabot in the waistband of his cargo pants, holding the metal between two hands and slid himself down.

Thankfully, he didn't fall and break his neck, the residual gym skills still sticking with him after all these years. The basement lights were on and he had little doubt that Tadashi may be there with Ayako, as evident by a random car parked outside of the cafe.

He wondered why Aunt Cass hadn't said something about the time girls could come over. Maybe Tadashi didn't tell her. Yeah, that seemed like a plausible reason.

Hiro made his way down the streets, the brightly lit shops giving way to dark alleys. He slipped down one, hearing muffled jeering from the other side.

A crowd came into a view, the sound of grinding gears heard over the cheers and boos. Hiro patted the wad of cash in his pocket and took a deep breath when the ring leader asked who would be next to challenge 'Little Yama'.

The young teen plastered on his most innocent and shy expression before calling out in a small tone, "may I try?"

The crowd parted and every eye was on him. Internally, he smirked.

It was show time for Megabot.

~~O~~O~~

"Are you sure that he would only activate with 'ow'?" Ayako asked, as she examined the finalized creation. Tadashi stood beside the red suitcase with pride written in his posture.

"Yes," he said. "Is there a problem with that?"

"I mean, what if there are more other sounds of distress than 'ow'? What about a scream of 'oh my god?'"

Tadashi pondered on that for a moment as he stared at his creation. "Hmm. Maybe I'll put that in his matrix when I have the time."

He would've said more when the sound of a distressed beep alerted him.

Ayako's head shot up, hair falling across her shoulder as she looked at the beeping computer.

"What's happening?"

Tadashi's eyes widened and he moved to the screen, with an alarming that she hadn't seen before.

"'Dashi? What's happening?" She asked again, this time much more forceful.

Tadashi looked back at her with wild eyes, rushing back to his creation and picking it up.

"Please, do me a favor."

Ayako could only stare at him in confusion as he handed Baymax over to her.

"What-"

"It's Hiro, he's in trouble."

"In trouble?" She repeated in disbelief. "How would you know?"

"The GPS systems – goddammit." He gritted his teeth against the pain when his toe rammed into the leg of the table. "Please take Baymax and wait for me in S.F.I.T car park... I need to help that wayward brother of mine."

"Wait, will you be returning there?"

"Yeah," he said, sobering up from the pain. "I decided to take your advice and let him have a look at the place."

Ayako nodded, understanding both his request and logic.

"Okay, I'll wait. Oh, and Tadashi?"

He stopped his frantic movement around the lab and turned to look at her.

"Stay safe, okay? I hope you get Hiro back safe too."

He nodded in acknowledgement and turned back to the stairs, leaving her alone with Baymax, looking more than a little lost.

~~O~~O~~

She got into her mother's car, putting Baymax in the backseat and setting the car in gear, heading down the road to the college. Ayako kept her eyes trained on the road, unused to driving her mother's small car, always relying on walking or taking the trams. She reached the outside compound where she was sure they wouldn't allow outsiders passed this point.

But surprisingly, the security guard let her through with nary a glance in her direction, the beam rising and letting her car go.

She kept to the minimal speed and parked in front of the steps, placing the car in neutral.

Taking a deep breath, she waited, listening to the static from the broken radio, trying not to seem too inconspicuous. The parking area was lit with street lights, casting a bright glow on the almost empty car park.

But the lights in the college were still switched on and even the classes seemed occupied. Did they have classes even at night?

Ayako quickly got bored, resulting in picking her nails for entertainment. She looked down at past her lap, trying to decide whether she needed a manicure when a sharp rap on the window made her look up.

It was one of Tadashi's friends. Fred.

He grinned and waved, gesturing for her to roll down her window.

"Hey, Ayako," he said enthusiastically once the windows rolled down. "What're you doing here? Tadashi isn't in college."

"I know," she said, pointing to the red suitcase behind. "He wanted me to drop this off at his lab cause he had to do something important."

Fred took a good look at the suitcase and she could see him thinking.

"Those aren't explosives, are they?"

Despite the serious question, she couldn't help her snort of disbelief. "Please, as if Tadashi would want me to bring explosives into the college."

Fred grinned at her words, shaking his head.

"That's great. Say, what if I go with you down the lab and we can put it in Tadashi's personal studio?"

The idea held a certain appeal to her, but she was nervous, thinking that people would start staring.

"Am I even allowed to be in the lab in the first place?" Ayako inquired, skeptical.

Fred shrugged. "I guess so. They let anyone in as long as you don't disturb the other nerds with their projects."

Ayako thought it over, glancing over at the dash clock. She had already been here for five minutes and Tadashi hadn't even called her to update on his and Hiro's situation. Was he expecting her to sit in a car and wait for god knows how long?

"Okay, sure."

She switched off the engine and headed to the back seat, struggling with the suit case.

"Here, let me help."

Before she could decline Fred's offer, he ambled over and supported the other side, the stress in her arms reducing.

Fred grunted, wincing. "What did the dude put in here? Tons of bricks?"

"Lithium batteries," she replied in a strained voice, shuffling with half of the weight towards the stairs. Her arms started to hurt and she was genuinely terrified that she might drop the suit case and ruin his project.

But mercifully, her arms held, helped by Fred and they made it up the long steps to the front doors of S.F.I.T.

They placed the suitcase down and Fred took a moment to wipe his brow.

"Man, I've got to stop eating all those pizzas – I'm way too out of shape."

Ayako huffed a laugh and gestured towards the huge lobby where students were gathered, hanging out in the sitting hall. "Come on, we're almost there."

The blonde male huffed and picked up his side of the suit case, directing her towards the elevators.

The doors closed shut on them, opening up a few moments later.

Fred led her down a corridor where an adjoining room to the left came into view, this one looking more sterile and professional. So this was the affectionately nicknamed 'Nerd Lab' that Tadashi had told her about.

He strolled in as if he did this every day (as she suspected he did), passing by various students who were busy with their projects and didn't even spare them a glance.

Ayako couldn't help but take in the place, stunned by the sheer activity. This was the direct antithesis of S.F.A.I's huge art common room but still held the same feel: the concentration of students, the bustling activity, the overflowing creativity.

It made her look around in wonder.

"Hey, watch out for the flying drone!" Fred called out and she ducked, just in time before the thing could come sailing into her head. A short girl with cropped hair stopped to give her a sheepish apology before running to catch the escaped drone.

Ayako huffed a breathless laugh. "This is amazing."

"It – ugh – is, right?" Fred said, moving the weight to his other arm while he stretched the other, disturbing the weight. Baymax nearly slipped out of her arms, much to her horror but he reacted, catching the other side before it could topple to the ground.

"Okay, tour later, getting this thing in Tadashi's lab now."

"Got it."

Fred led her out of another door, this time leading towards another set of elevators.

The elevators brought them up three flights before dinging to a stop. The school mascot led her down another corridor, stopping outside an unassuming set of sliding doors.

Fred placed Baymax on the ground and proceeded to type in the password in a key pad beside the door. The light turned green and the doors swung open. She heaved a sigh of relief and put all her energy into carrying Baymax, the doors sliding shut behind them.

Ayako placed the robot down and stretched her sore arms, taking in the space.

If a room could have a direct representation of Tadashi, this one did.

The walls were bare except for schemes taped to them. A holographic computer hummed to life when she walked past it and light streamed in from the large, rounded window sill that dominated one wall.

Fred walked past her and flipped a switch, instant light brightening the lab.

She squinted and gazed around once more.

"He's a little bit of a clean freak, am I right?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Kinda looks like the lab he had back home too."

Fred wiggled his brows. "So, are you saying you've been into Tadashi Hamada's secret lair?"

She scoffed and – although she had only met the guy once – felt comfortable enough to punch his arm, earning an indignant yelp from the boy.

"Shush you."

Fred grinned and rubbed the spot where she had punched him. "Yeesh, calm down, I was just joking."

Ayako busied herself moving Baymax and placing him under the window sill. She looked out, twinkling lights reflected on the surface of a huge man made lake with a bridge that connected two halves of the campus together catching her attention. The lake was fringed with cherry blossom trees that were barren of flowers, the scenery an outlet of stress for he college students.

Sighing in longing, she recalled that all her college had was a traditional Japanese garden that was off limits for socializing.

Great, maybe she could pitch that idea to the faculty if they ever had an annual meeting again.

"Come on, don't you want to see the rest of the nerd lab?" Fred offered.

"Yeah, sure," she said, following him out of Tadashi's lab. Fishing her phone from out of her pocket, she saw no messages. Worry and dread filled her chest.

What had happened to both boys? Why did she have a feeling that his silence meant something bad had happened?

Tadashi would never let something bad happen to Hiro, she reasoned, feeling a little better with that thought.

Ayako put that thought behind as she trailed after Fred, the last thing she saw was the key pad of his lab doors blinking red once more.

~~O~~O~~

"When are you going to use that big brain of yours for something?" Tadashi hadn't meant to yell at his younger brother, but Hiro's nonchalant attitude about breaking the law was making him see red.

The younger brother shrugged, clasping onto his robot with a stubborn scowl.

They had been arrested – arrested! – for tonight's actions and Tadashi was more than ready to rip Hiro for his stupidity. He had went down to a place that was dangerous for kids like him and gave Aunt Cass a near heart attack when she had to bail them out of prison.

The word still felt foreign in his mind. He had been to prison. Tadashi Hamada, self proclaimed nerd and non confronting softie had actually been to prison.

Somehow, that did sound cool but that was something for later.

"Come on, nobody got hurt," Hiro said, again with that breezy callousness. "There's a fight around town and if I can book it, I can make it in time."

He realized that Hiro wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and would head back to the seedy alleyways of bot fighters and thugs alike, despite his brother's well meaning advice. He had to do something, change his brother's mind before it was too late.

A hint of a smirk pulled his lips but Hiro was too busy to notice.

"Okay."

He gave his brother a confused stare. "Huh? Okay for what, Tadashi?"

"If I can't stop you, I might as well send you there, huh?"

Hiro looked at him in disbelief. "You're serious?"

Tadashi lifted up the helmet and placed it on his brother's head.

"Yup. Now let's go."

~~O~~O~~

"What are we doing at your nerd school?" Hiro asked in a groan. "I thought you said we were going bot fighting?"

"Oops," Tadashi said in mock contrition. "I must've taken the wrong way. Huh, fancy that, getting here because I forgot to take something. Wanna follow me in and pick up the stuff before we leave?"

Hiro rolled his eyes. "I know what you're doing. Not subtle at all, bro."

Tadashi faked ignorance. "I don't know what you're saying."

"Ha. Ha."

"Come on, or are you gonna sit here the whole night?"

The teen debated his choices. He could sulk and groan all he wanted, but Tadashi was well known for his stubbornness. He decided to follow his dork of a brother, if only to appease him so that he would hurry up and get back to the bot fighting schedule.

"Fine, fine," Hiro grumbled, completely missing Tadashi's smirk.

~~O~~O~~

So. His plan did work.

He let Hiro absorb all the sights of the robotics lab, even got him to meet Professor Callaghan, the man who invented Callaghan's Theory of Robotics.

Safe to say, Hiro was star-struck.

But there was one more thing that he hadn't seen.

Tadashi brought Hiro into his personal lab, happy to note that the red suit case was there. With a little jolt of guilt, he realized he hadn't called her yet and chose to remedy that while Hiro was admiring Baymax. The bot blinked down at him, entertaining his whimsical questions.

"Can you shoot lasers?"

"No," Baymax replied in a pleasant, neutral voice.

"How about rocket boosters?"

Tadashi shook his head in amusement and dialed in her number. She answered after the third ring.

"Hey, where are you? Is everything all right?"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down babe," he said, grinning. "I'm fine. I'm here with Hiro in the personal lab. Wanna come up here and meet us?"

"Sure. Cool. Wait, let me tell Fred to cancel our pizza order." He crinkled his brow at her words.

"You're ordering pizza?"

"I got hungry," she replied in defense. Her indignant tone was so adorable that Tadashi had to huff a laugh.

"Okay, then we'll meet up with you downstairs," he replied, ending the call.

"Hey, genius," Tadashi called his brother who was busy studying the robot's carbon fiber skeleton.

Hiro looked up, curious. "What?"

"Want some pizza? Fred and Ayako ordered some."

Hiro didn't give it a second thought as he nodded enthusiastically, attention diverted from Baymax.

"Hiro, I cannot deactivate until you have said you are satisfied with your care," the robot said, blinking.

The teen followed the robot's moves, blinking in surprise.

"Uh, sure. I am satisfied with my care."

"Thank you," Baymax said and the two brothers watched as the robot ambled over to the red power dock and deflated.

"Amazing," Hiro muttered under his breath.

Tadashi grinned, teasing, "what was that, little bro?"

Hiro caught himself and shrugged. "Nothing. Said I was hungry."

He made his way to the door, turning back to look at his brother.

"Are you coming or what? I hate to be the one to say it but if it's pizza, I rather disown you as a brother than be late for a slice."

Tadashi snorted, following his brother as he walked out of the lab, switching the lights off.

"Fine. Be that way. As if pizza is going to save your butt when you get in trouble with bot fighting."

~~O~~O~~

He found her down in the nerd lab, looking rather comfortable as she hovered near Fred's chair. The comic book fan had donned his mascot suit and Tadashi wondered how he didn't get a heat stroke from all those layers.

The young man went to stand beside her, and she startled, looking up at him with wide eyes.

She relaxed once she saw who it was and even offered him a small smile.

"So, what happened?"

Tadashi leaned down so that they couldn't be overhead, not willing to let anyone but her know the true reason why they were late.

"We... got arrested."

The disbelief on her face was priceless. "A-Arrested? What happened?"

"Bot fighting," Tadashi replied, gesturing to his brother who had busied himself in a serious conversation with Fred on how producing fire for a monster suit wasn't 'real science'.

"Oh, come on," Fred groaned, trying his hardest to change Hiro's mind.

A few of his other friends had also gathered around, each one of them greeting him and her in their own way.

Honey gave Ayako a small wave, turned to Tadashi and gestured at his brother. "Is this Hiro?"

Tadashi nodded. "Yeah. Everyone meet Hiro, Hiro meet everyone."

The teen gave them all a shy smile and Tadashi felt like he was looking into the reflection of a mirror.

That had been his exact same reaction two years ago when Honey had introduced him to GoGo, Wasabi and Fred. A rush of affection welled up in his heart and he wished he could bend down and ruffle the top of his brother's head. Although, Hiro would not appreciate him embarrassing the teen in front of his other friends.

"Hey, we ordered some pizza cause Fred got hungry," Ayako announced, much to Fred's cheers. "So, who wants a slice?"

Everyone raised their hands and – although they were weren't suppose to bring food into the lab – it was a nice change from laboring the whole day with their projects.

~~O~~O~~

"I can't believe you got arrested today," she said, standing by the car and watching as Hiro talked to the rest of the gang by the steps. Tadashi shrugged, turning to her with a smirk.

"Why? Happy that I'm now ten times more cooler?"

She snorted a laugh, drawing a stare from GoGo.

"Please, I've met poodles who did double in the pet pound."

Tadashi pretended to look affronted as he placed a hand on his heart. "My love, why do you hurt me so?"

"Because you're too dang adorable," she said with a wink.

He grinned, poking her side.

"Admit it, me going to prison is kinda hot."

Ayako pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. "Yeah, yeah street thug. It's extremely titillating to know you shared a cell with sweaty, old men."

"Somehow, I think you're just being sarcastic."

"I wonder why," the young woman replied as she tapped the roof of her car. "Okay, this is officially too much for me to handle in a single night. I should get going."

Tadashi nodded. "Sure. And thank you for sending Baymax to the lab, I really did appreciate that."

"Welcome," she said brightly. She turned her eyes to Hiro. "So, did the brain washing plan work?"

He followed her gaze, looking smug.

"Like a champ. He bought it and actually asked me how to get in and so I said he would have to take part in the showcase."

Ayako hummed, smiling slightly. "Well, he's a genius just like his brother, I doubt he wouldn't think of something."

"Aw, see? I knew you would break down and compliment me soon," Tadashi teased.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "So, does that mean lab romancing is officially out?"

"Unless you like spewing cute-sy words with Hiro in the same room," the inventor replied, smirking.

"Thought so."

"We'll make other plans, okay?"

She smiled at the eagerness in his tone, his bashfulness contagious. "Yeah, okay."

"And hey, if everything goes well, would you like to come for his showcase?"

He looked at her expectantly, and with those wide, brown eyes, how could she say no?

"Sure."

"Cool, I'll pick you up from your home?"

"Ha, have fun trying to explain to my mom that you're not a thug... oh, wait."

"Your mom's not in the secret service, right?"

"Considering I don't know what she works as, it might be plausible," she replied carefully.

Tadashi gave an exaggerated sigh, "I guess she would know that my reputation precedes me, being in prison and all that."

Ayako scoffed and bumped his shoulder with hers, bringing a smile to his face.

"It was just a lock-up. Even puppies need to get locked up sometimes." She didn't let him ruminate long on her words and stood on tiptoe, kissing his cheek.

"Gotta go. See you when I see you?"

He grinned, hand drifting up to graze his cheek, unaware of the action. "Yeah. See you when I see you."

She could hear someone cough in the background and turned to find the whole gang facing away, blatantly ignoring them.

"Hey, guys, I heading home," she called to the rest of the gang.

They turned around then as if they had just noticed her, various expressions of smugness and innocence written on their face.

"Cool, bye," Wasabi said.

"See you, Ayako," Honey Lemon retorted warmly.

GoGo popped her gum in her own form of goodbye.

Hiro and Fred both gave small waves and she returned them, stepping into the car and starting the engine a moment later. She reversed and waved at Tadashi who still wore that silly grin.

She blushed and was thankful that he couldn't see it, before stepping on the gas and driving out of the campus.

From her rear view mirror, she could see Tadashi ambling up the steps, and the indignant scowl on his face as Fred punched his arm teasingly and Honey cooed at something he said.

She shook her head, resisting the urge to laugh on her own and continued, making sure to check both ways before turning down the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let you guys know, I managed to watch the first LOTR movie for half an hour before my computer crashed. Sigh, what is life?
> 
> Thank you all for your sweet reviews! More reviews are like pop-tarts, they fill me up with luuurve.
> 
> Next chapter is something laugh-aloud and is a must read.


	13. Wait. What?

Three o'clock in the afternoon found Tadashi, Fred and Wasabi in the nearest mall, relaxing after a long day of assignments and studies.

They had decided to take a break and visit their favorite taco bar, where early dinner promotions attracted every broke college student who wanted a good meal and deal. Tadashi had already texted Aunt Cass, telling her that he wouldn't be back for dinner and to go ahead without him.

The shops were a whirl of colors, and he passed them by with barely a glance, focused on the conversation.

"It was hard, I'm telling you," Wasabi grumbled, referring to their surprise quiz in chemistry today.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Come on, mi amigo. You're a genius right? Should've been easy."

"You say that like it's grade four maths."

"It could be," the blonde boy argued.

Tadashi was on the verge of butting in and telling Fred that no way in heaven or hell was chemistry considered the same as fourth grade math when he spotted someone familiar in Sandy's Burger Shack.

His eyes widened and a small gasp left his lips. Hands reached out to stop Fred and Wasabi who looked at him with equal expressions of confusion.

"You okay, man?"

He motioned to the window, where Ayako was sitting. And that wasn't even the worse part.

"Is that another guy with her?" Fred asked, squinting to make out the man she was talking too.

Tadashi felt as if his body were lead. He was frozen in shock.

There was the girl that he had been pining for almost a month, sitting across from some lumberjack fashion model with horn-rimmed glasses, flop of blonde hair and outfit that was more hipster than the latest showy cafe. And she was laughing, as in, full on, head thrown back laughter without a care in the world.

It made his blood boil.

He pulled his two friends behind a kiosk where they hid but still maintained a line of sight on them. The worker behind the small store startled from the sudden intrusion. At the sight of three boys crouched behind the cart, she said nothing else, relaxing back against the plastic seat.

"Just make sure to buy something," the store worker commented nonchalantly, ignored by the three of them.

"Whoa, easy there," Wasabi cautioned, placing a sturdy hand on his shoulder. Tadashi was pulling in shorter breaths, anxious.

"B-But – w-w-what... I-I thought we were-"

He was beyond agitated, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Just...who did that blonde lumberjack dude think he was?

"Look, it might just be a friend," Wasabi reasoned, level-headed. Tadashi was always the smart one, rationalizing and finding easy solutions for problems. But now, he was stumped, hands clenching and releasing in hot agitation.

The burly neatnik's words seemed to have calmed him down and he nodded, ready to just turn around and head back. That all changed he saw something that made his jaw drop.

Ayako had taken a sip of her milkshake and – predictably – gotten some foam on the side of her mouth. He watched in horror as Abercrombie model leaned over and swiped his thumb over her lips, cleaning the mess up.

Heart dropped to his stomach, breaths coming out rapidly now.

What was he going to do? What was he going to do?

Fred blinked. "I know you said just a friend, but honestly, I wouldn't even think of touching GoGo that way. Ever."

Wasabi seemed unsure. "Look, maybe-"

"I can see his lips moving!" Fred exclaimed.

"What's he saying?" Tadashi asked, anxious.

"I can't really see but I think – oh crap, I think he just said, 'let's take you home'."

Tadashi's eyes bulged wide, ready to roll on the floor within another minute of this madness.

"Wait, or maybe it was 'there's jam on your toe'."

The inventor didn't hear, mind already whirling. His eyes landed on Wasabi, and he jerked his head towards the restaurant.

"Go in there and see what they're talking about."

Wasabi flinched, looking panicked. "Why me?" He hissed in a low tone.

"Because you owe me for the extra breath mints when you were out and I need to see what they're talking about," Tadashi hissed back.

The other man wrinkled his nose, inching away from Tadashi. "Okay, okay. You didn't have to invade my personal space to make a point."

Wasabi stood up, looking uncertain. Tadashi gave him an encouraging look and waved his hands, telling him to hurry up. The neatnik groaned internally. He hated being between two people's issues.

He entered the restaurant, hoping to remain inconspicuous as he passed by the booth. Thank goodness this was a self-service restaurant and that nobody would have to wait on him.

"...And so I was thinking that you could draft yourself to Keiro's group first," he heard Ayako say.

"Yeah, that'll be amazing, thanks," the guy replied.

Wasabi furrowed his brow and quickly walked on past, hoping that she didn't look up to see who it was. He got by free and heaved a sigh of relief.

Now, to put Tadashi's mind at ease.

He moved towards the corner of the restaurant, wary of some people staring at him. It made him nervous, seeing all the attention he was getting that he wanted nothing more than to get this over with and have some tacos. Yes, that's right, he was just here for some tacos, nothing else.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed that nerd's number, glare in place.

"Hello?"

"You better treat me to some tacos for doing all your dirty work, Al Capone," Wasabi grumbled, "Cause she was just talking about work and nothing else."

"Really?" Tadashi's voice burst out from the other end, ridiculously hopeful.

"Yeah, and-"

A hand on his shoulder made him turn, shrieking at the sight of Ayako, who was giving him a suspicious look.

"Wasabi?" Tadashi said from the other end of the line, in a loud, panicked tone that he was pretty sure Ayako had heard too.

"Is that Tadashi on the other end?" The petite girl tilted her head to one side, studying him.

"N-No," Wasabi said, instinct to protect his friend coming to play. "That's just-"

"Wasabi?" Tadashi asked, not helping the situation at all.

A look of realization dawned on her face and she plastered on a glare, hand stretched out. "Give me the phone."

"What? No-"

"Wasabi. Phone. Now."

He gulped and handed her the phone, wishing Tadashi well and hoping that his friend would survive this.

~~O~~O~~

Ayako couldn't believe the sight she was seeing. Wasabi's face had blanched in fear when he turned to find her. She could hear Tadashi's voice squawking in the background, as if he didn't know she was listening in.

Wasabi's jumpy attitude betrayed the real reason he was here, and Ayako knew for a fact that he was usually calm when there was nothing agitating him. He was acting unnatural and it didn't take a professional body reader to know that he wasn't here for the charbroiled burgers.

She lifted the device to her ear, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, science boy."

Silence fell over on the other end. "A-Ayako?"

"No, it's Queen Elizabeth," she commented dryly. "What are you doing?"

"Um, what are you talking about?" Tadashi said, and even scoffed for added effect.

She sighed and ended the call, turning to Wasabi, hands on her hips. "Where's that nerd?"

Wasabi looked like he wanted to change the subject but her no nonsense glare made him change his mind for the best. He swallowed and pointed outside, towards a kiosk, where she could see a hint of a cap hiding behind the cart.

Ayako huffed and stalked out of the restaurant, walking with purpose as she approached the kiosk. She peeked over, finding Tadashi fumbling with the phone. He looked up, catching her gaze and smiled, bashful.

"Um, h-hi, 'Yako. W-What's up?"

She grabbed his shoulder and heaved him up, ignoring his indignant yelp.

"Hey, quit man-handling me. Or woman-handling me."

"Then quit spying on me," she growled. "Did you not think I could hear you from the other end of Wasabi's line?"

"I was hoping not."

She leveled him with a glare. "What's going on, 'Dashi?"

"N-Nothing, we were just here for some burgers-"

"Tacos, man," Fred corrected, sparing her a sheepish glance.

Ayako narrowed her gaze in suspicion. Tadashi seemed to be fidgeting with his cardigan, looking her straight in the eye and she knew he wasn't telling the truth. She curled her fist into a ball, sparing a look back at Mike to see if he hadn't notice she was missing.

The blonde assistant had, looking at her through the glass window in confusion.

She gave him a wave and he responded a little hesitantly. It hit her then.

"You... You were spying on me because of Mike?"

Tadashi flinched back, nervous laughter leaving his lips. "W-What? N-No, what do you mean? And who's Mike anyway?"

His reaction completely gave him away and she felt her glare softening now that she knew the truth. The huge nerd actually thought that she would turn around and date another guy. It honestly amused her that he would even think that. Didn't he know that she was solely interested in him and only him?

Oh, wait. They weren't even official.

Yet.

Which was why she had to go through with this sudden whack idea she had not a second ago.

"Come on, I want you to meet someone," she said, motioning to her project partner. Tadashi's eyes widened and he took a step back, apprehensive.

"W-What? It's okay, I saw what I saw and-"

"Will you please just do this for me, science boy?" She didn't mean to sound so exasperated but she desperately wished that this plan would work.

Employing her best puppy eyes, she pouted, hoping that he would take the hint and let her lead the way.

He looked uncertain but eventually nodded, sighing, "okay."

Mike glanced up from his phone when he noticed her walking in, with Tadashi at her heels.

"Hey, Mike, look who walked by," Ayako said fondly, motioning to Tadashi. "Mike, meet Tadashi, my boyfriend. Babe, meet Mike, he's the new project assistant for our finals."

She didn't give him any time to react to his new title, shaking Mike's proffered hand with a crooked smile. "Nice to meet you."

Mike looked back and forth at the both of them, subtle smirk in place. "You both are such a cute couple it's making me wish I had my own boyfriend here."

Wait. What?

The realization was like a ton of bricks slamming into his shoulders, making him huff out a disbelieved breath. Tadashi felt as if he couldn't face her, embarrassed and flustered.

Mike was  _gay_?

Ayako seemed to have noticed his sudden discomfort and told Mike that 'her boyfriend' would be one his way, busy with his plans.

Tadashi could only give him a short smile before she whisked him away out of the restaurant. A small laugh escaped her lips and he looked to find her smothering the giggles behind an open palm.

"You should've seen your face when you realized he was gay," she snickered, much to his chagrin.

"Oh my God, I feel like such a..."

"Idiot?" She prompted.

"No," he said with a shake of his head.

"Knucklehead? Bird brain? Come on, I can play this game for the whole day."

"Okay, okay," he grumbled. Plastering on his most sincere expression, he gazed at her with innocent brown eyes. "I'm so sorry. Will you forgive me for acting like a jealous boyfriend?"

Ayako snorted. "Well, you are one...now." She said, referring to what she had called him in front of Mike.

Tadashi fell silent, sheepish. Everything had just turned around a hundred and eighty degrees that the thoughts were giving him a mental whiplash. He had just gotten jealous over his three-seconds-ago girlfriend for having dinner with her conveniently gay project partner.

God, it made him want to burst out laughing and bury his head in the ground at the same time.

She must've noticed his inner turmoil and took his hand in hers, squeezing it lightly. "You look like you have a lot to digest."

He whistled, "you have no idea."

"But hey, at least you know that I'm not cheating on you. And that you're my boyfriend... speaking of which." She looked at him, shy, gnawing adorably on her lower lip.

"You...you don't mind us...right?"

He chuckled lightly, bumping her shoulder with his. Tadashi gave her a genuine smile, one filled with relief and gratefulness at the same time. He would've never imagined making her his girlfriend this way; in the middle of a mall, among fast food restaurants after a silly misunderstanding. Fred and Wasabi were ignoring him, giving them some space as they milled in front of the restaurant.

"Honestly? I'm relieved because I've... I've been meaning to ask you to be my girlfriend for a few weeks now." He glanced at her, cheeks reddened and was amused to see that she had the same reaction. Ayako glanced down, finding the sight of her shoes much more interesting than anything else.

They were both painfully awkward, shy beyond words, fingers linked together and cheeks rouged the same bright red.

Ayako took a deep breath, meeting his gaze, unflinching. "Guess we're together now, huh?"

He smirked at the edge in her tone, recognizing it as nerves.

"Guess so. Any objections?"

A smile broke on her face, like the sun after a cloudy day that it left him temporarily stunned, blue eyes glinting like the sky after a storm.

Ayako tightened her fingers around his, her warmth reassuring. "None that I can think of. Yet."

~~O~~O~~

It seemed as if everyone in the lab knew about what had transpired yesterday. Honey had been giving him sideways glances for the first half of the morning, but he studiously ignored her, concentrating on getting his calculations right. GoGo had spared him a flippant look this morning, showing more volumes of suspicion than anything else as the speedster would normally be too distracted with her work to even look up at him.

Fred and Wasabi were a different story, all coy smiles and wiggling eyebrows that he had to fight not to burst out laughing in the middle of class, concentrating on shooting them his best no nonsense glare that ultimately would fail as he was too nice to look angry.

In hindsight, he should've known that they would corner him in his personal lab after lunch, when half of the robotics floor was down in the cafeteria or off for a break.

The door closed behind with a loud crack, startling him from his plans. He glanced up to find the whole gang in the lab, each of them wearing various expressions of smugness.

"Congratulations," GoGo said coolly, arching a perfect brow. "Looks like someone had the guts to finally make Ayako his girlfriend."

Tadashi's cheeks warmed, despite the cool air from the AC swirling in the room. He remained silent, hoping that they would take the hint and rely on Fred's retelling to get the story across.

But the two girls were determined, sparing each other a glance and both marching up to him. Honey had on her best serious expression, and GoGo crossed her arms.

A sudden ridiculous idea popped into his mind. "You guys are going to start beating me up, are you?" He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, pretending to cringe away. "Just...avoid my nose; it's my face's crowning glory."

GoGo snorted, causing him to pry open his eyes. "No, we're not going to, nerd."

"We want to hear all about it," Honey enthused, gripping his arm. "Tell us, did you really get jealous over her gay project assistant."

"Totally," Fred butted in, "complete, incoherent mess of jealousy. He even sent Wasabi in to spy on her."

"Still traumatized, by the way," Wasabi quipped. "Ayako's glare was pretty scary. I hope you never make her angry, dude."

"And, she had to pull him in to meet the guy to ease our captain's jealousy."

Honey guffawed (there was no word for her less than graceful laughter), gazing at him in incredulous disbelief. "Are you  _serious_?"

"Yup," Wasabi said. "Although, in Tadashi's defense, the guy was getting a little too close."

GoGo popped her gum, chewing thoughtfully. "Always knew you were going to do something weird like that.

"I'm just glad you guys are together. The romantic and sexual tension was getting kinda overbearing."

He sputtered at her words, cheeks heating up. "W-What? Was it that obvious?"

GoGo gave him one of her rare smiles, the ones she reserved for achieving successful results or perfecting the calibrations on her maglev bike.

"As obvious as a nut in a stack of screws."

~~O~~O~~

She pulled Lucy into a corner while she was walking down for lunch, much to the taller girl's surprise.

"Yako," her friend said, eyes widening. "What's wrong?"

Ayako knew she must've looked like a madwoman now, grinning so wide that her cheeks hurt. "We're officially together."

Lucy looked confused for a minute before the news sunk in. An incredulous grin spread across her lips. "Oh my god, no way!"

"Yes way," Ayako said with a small squeal. "He asked me just yesterday."

"I'll say it again," her red headed friend said, "no way!"

"I know right," Ayako enthused, leaning against the wall and releasing an unsteady breath. She held a faraway look in her eyes as she remembered what had transpired the day before.

Even she couldn't believe it still.

"So, you and him, huh?" Lucy asked, grinning.

Ayako nodded, to which Lucy lightly punched her arm.

Her friend was grinning too, sharing in her happiness. "So. Now can I tell Keiro that you guys are together?"

"Wait, what do you mean 'now'?"

Lucy grinned sheepishly, fiddling with her fingers.

"We...we kinda made a bet on whether you guys would get together...and I won."

Ayako gaped at her, jaw slacked. "Unbelievable."

She honestly wanted to feel anger or maybe even indignation at the fact that her friends had used her love life as a betting game. But she didn't, too high on dopamine and love hormones to care.

"Which is why I need to tell you something," Lucy said, plastering a serious expression on her features.

Dread filled her thoughts and she wondered who else her friend could've told about her and Tadashi.

Lucy continued, unperturbed by the questions invoking her friend's inner turmoil.

"It would help if you got married to him, I'm placing my bet and Keiro has already put in two thousand yen on that- hey!"

Ayako smacked Lucy's shoulder, shaking her head, glaring at her.

"I can't believe this."

"I know, I even told her that maybe you guys would do the do before the year ends-"

Ayako cut her off with another smack on her arm.

Lucy yelped and shifted away, glaring daggers at her friend. "Stop friend-abusing me, Yako!"

She scoffed. "You stop betting on my love life, Lucy," the artist retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, okay," Lucy said, contrite.

The hallways were crowded yet people didn't spare the two girls in a corner a second glance, to which Ayako was thankful for. She had a lot to discuss with Lucy about using someone's love life as a gambling game.

But first...

"How much did Keiro put in if we did the do before this month?" She asked, indulging her friend. Lucy grinned, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly.

In answer, she pumped her arm, chirping, "cha-ching!" in an obnoxious voice.

~~O~~O~~

His phone rang with a text and he picked it up, ignoring his engineering homework. It was a message from her, the familiar numbers distinguishable now that he had memorized it.

**_Can you believe my friends actually had a bet on when we would get together?_ **

Tadashi scoffed, typing a quick reply.

 _ **My friends said that it was about time.**_  He inserted an exasperated emoji just for the fun of it and she responded with an emoji rolling its eyes.

_**Do these people get a kick out of snooping in people's lives?** _

He huffed a laugh at the petulance in her words.

_**Maybe. So, what're you doing now?** _

She replied a minute later:

_**Homework. Yech. You?** _

_**Same.** _

_**I need a break from all these drawings and designing. How about dinner tomorrow at our usual ramen place?** _

A crooked smile appeared on his lips and he typed in a quick, _ **S** ** _u_ re. See you tomorrow.**_

 _ **See you when I see you**_ , she responded and didn't say any more.

 _ **You too. Goodnight and sweet dreams.**_ He debated adding a 'will be thinking off you' and decided against it, knowing it would seem too early to start all the romantic ramblings.

 _ **G'night. Dream of me tonight, okay?**_  She placed a winky emoji and he rolled his eyes at her words.

_**Who else would I dream of?** _

_**Hmm. Maybe Baymax?** _

He let out a small laugh at her words.  _ **That could happen. But nah, you're nicer to dream of.**_

_**Aww, you're making me blush like baboon's butt.** _

The mental image was so amusing that Tadashi chuckled at her words.

_**Still adorable to me.** _

_**Oh my, please don't tell me the Neanderthal genes still stuck with you and now you find red butt's attractive. Gawd.** _

_**Good Force, no.** _

_**Thank goodness. Well, night! I need to stay up and finish my portfolio for classes. See ya tomorrow.** _

She placed a kissy emoji and he shook his head, amused.

_**See ya.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that happened. You guys liked that little twist I put in there?
> 
> Reviews are like Imagine Dragon's songs, I live for them.


	14. First Dates and Almost Kisses

Ayako and him had a mutual understanding that they would only text each other at night, both of them being extremely busy throughout the day. He looked forward to their late night conversations, loving the seclusion of a dark room with nothing but the soft glare of his phone and her words for company.

But that didn't stop him from missing her during the day, wanting to call her up if just to hear her voice.

Honey noticed him daydreaming, staring out of the Nerd Lab windows with an air of wistful sadness and longing.

"You okay, Tadashi?" She asked, jolting him back to earth.

He shrugged, dropping his gaze and cleared his throat. "Just thinking."

Honey hummed. "Of 'Yako?"

Incredulously, he wondered how she figured it otut.

The tall blonde laughed and removed her glasses, wiping it on the hem of her lab coat, sensing his unasked question.

"I know a love sick look when I see one."

He flushed, remembering the rumors during freshman year spread around by GoGo that he had a teensy, tiny crush on Honey Lemon.

For his part, the rumors were true, but he would never readily admit it, rationalizing it was just admiration on his side. Honey had intrigued him in a way that rainbows had entranced scientists, wondering what phenomenon could have caused refractive colored rays of light. She was bright and bubbly, drawing people in with her infectious laughter and girlish antics; initially attracting him too before he realized that nothing could ever happen between them.

He loved her like a sister, and thinking back during those days when he would sneak covert glances at her during chemistry class made him want to smack his own forehead, considering how close they were as friends now.

Tadashi chuckled. "You could say that."

"Then just give her a call," she replied good-naturedly. "There's no harm in that."

He mulled it over. "Nah, she's probably busy. Maybe I'll text her later."

She shrugged and went back to her work. "You could always go on a date."

The idea struck him as being brilliant. After all, they hadn't even had their first official date together.

"Where do you suggest I take her?" He asked, suddenly eager.

Honey turned back to face him, amusement written on her features. "You could always take her to a restaurant."

He made a face. "Broke. Anywhere else?"

Honey thought it over before squealing, clapping her hands excitedly. "There's this vantage point by a park that lets you see stars. How about a picnic there?"

Stars were rare in San Fransokyo as the city's blinding lights drowned out their cosmic glow. He had heard about this vantage point and had a vague memory of visiting that place when he was younger.

Thinking it over, he wondered if she would like that place or if he should just stick with the simple formula of dinner and a movie.

No, Ayako deserved better. She was much too special and he really did want to make a memorable impression for their first date.

"That sounds like a great idea, Honey Lemon," he said, smiling brightly. "Thanks."

Honey returned his smile, nodding. "You're welcome and aw," she cooed, "you're finally in love."

"Finally?"

"I never thought you would be, you know, cause you're so busy with college and all that." She waved her hand nonchalantly, unaware that she had left him stunned by her observation.

Tadashi didn't know what to say to that so he just kept quiet, wondering when his friends had noticed.

Honey Lemon's words were true. After getting accepted into the tech institute, he had didn't have time for dating; what with taking care of Hiro and schoolwork being the first priority. It was unlike high school where he had time for casual dates.

Ayako had sneaked up in his life like a pleasant surprise, a bright light in the horizon, brightening up the gray areas. She made his heart double in speed, palpitating in his chest like an engine, giving him a reason to smile in the mornings.

Yes, she truly was special and he intended to show it to her.

~~O~~O~~

The vibrations from an incoming call made her look up from the movie she was watching, pausing it so she could answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

Ayako felt a smile grow on her face as she said, "Hi 'me', it's Ayako here."

Tadashi laughed at her words. "You did  _not_  just coin a dad joke."

"Mhm hmm," she replied, settling back against the headboard of her bed, smirking. "And what exactly are your intentions for – uh – myself, young man?"

"Oh, I don't know," he drawled, "besides taking you out for our first official date, sir...or ma'am."

Ayako lost her playful disposition, gaping. "You want to take me on a date?"

"Yeah, isn't that what boyfriends do?"

A bright blush stained her cheeks and she was thankful that he wasn't there to see or she would have to endure his constant teasing at how easy it was to get her flustered. It had only been less than a week since they had officially gotten together and she still wasn't used to thinking of him in that way. He was her  _boyfriend_  now.

She remembered the early awkwardness that had pervaded their relationship after they had gotten together all too well with a certain sort of cringing dread.

_The phone blared and she answered it, sitting down exactly the way she was now, smiling when she heard his voice._

_Tadashi had asked her how was her day and she had replied as honestly as she could ("not much, but it was a pretty decent one"). They had talked for a moment about his day before their voices faded, unsure of what to say. Ayako was aware of the need to start telling a dirty joke or say something random (chocolate marshmallows vaguely made its way in her mind) when Tadashi sighed._

_"I don't like this."_

_Her heart did a painful nosedive. "W-What?"_

_"N-No, not us," Tadashi corrected hastily, "I'm talking about all the awkwardness."_

_She recovered, breathing easier._

_"Maybe we should just let things go naturally."_

_Grinning at his suggestion, she nodded, chirping a "sure, we could do that."_

_"Cool." She could practically feel him grinning. "So, whatcha wearing?"_

_Crinkling her nose and cringing, Ayako scoffed. "Seriously?"_

_"I was just joking. You know that right?"_

_Ayako rolled her eyes at his dorkiness, not wanting to admit that it nearly made her laugh at his deadpan question. "I did, science boy, I'm not that dense."_

"Hmm. Well," she started, coming back from her reverie, "I was aware that boyfriend's were also suppose to text their girlfriend's at night," she replied, smirk still in place.

Tadashi hadn't answered her text yesterday and she had shrugged it off, thinking that maybe he was busy. Since they didn't have much to say, she let it slide, content to start brainstorming portfolio ideas for the next semester's scholarship throughout the night.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry," he said, sounding aghast.

She chuckled. "It's all right, thought you were busy anyway."

"I was, and I guessed I didn't hear the phone." She pictured him rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and sighed.

"Just remember to pick up the phone when it's something important."

"Yes ma'am," he said and she had to laugh at his somber tone. "Anyway, about the date, I was thinking of that little cafe at the Observation Deck."

She gave a little gasp. "You mean that place where we can see stars?"

This was one thing that most people didn't know about her: Ayako was a complete nerd when it came to studying constellations and had once offhandedly confided it to Tadashi. A sliver of amazement won her over when she realized that he had remembered her words from long ago.

"Yup," he enthused. "What do you think?"

"I would love it," she said, enthusiastic. "That would be amazing."

"Awesome. Saturday night sound okay?"

Ayako took a moment to reply, attempting to recall if she had anything going on Saturday.

"Um, not really," she said, "but let me check with my mom first, she may want to go shopping or something."

"Okay," he replied amicably. "I wouldn't want to interrupt on your family time."

Ayako would've scoffed. She wanted to keep the secret of her strain relationship with Masaki for as long as she could. She didn't want him to know how weird her home life was; not wanting to scare him away too soon.

"Cool," she hummed.

"And I'll pick you up too," he added.

Ayako shook her head, amazed at how thoughtful he could be, knowing that she didn't have constant access to her mom's car.

"If you don't mind," she confessed sheepishly.

He snorted. "I don't."

A pleasant silence fell over them before she said, "all right then, see you when I see you?"

She had no idea why, but that phrase was becoming their 'goodbye' anthem when they didn't want to bid each other farewell.

"See you when I see you."

And she had to remind herself that, no, he really did make it sound as tender as she imagined it to be.

~~O~~O~~

She sighed as she looked herself over in the mirror. For the first time in her little dating sphere, she was wearing a dress – nothing too girlish or hard to maneuver in, just perfect for the walk up a few flight of stairs at the Observation Deck.

Excitement churned in her gut and she couldn't stop herself from fretting, hands flying to smooth any piece of wayward hair, checking her light makeup again in the vanity mirror. Her mother had asked if she wanted to follow her out for a quick dinner before grocery shopping. She had said 'no', telling Masaki to go on without her.

Ayako had informed her mother that she would be heading out with a friend and would be back later tonight. Her mother had asked who it was and she had adamantly replied Lucy, knowing her best friend would cover for her should the need to arise.

A glance at her phone told her that it was almost time and she skipped to the door, picking up her purse. Her phone vibrated with a message, telling her that he was already waiting downstairs. She shut the door and ambled down the steps, careful not to trip less she want to spend their first date in a hospital wing.

Tadashi was astride his red scooter, grinning the moment he saw her.

Her heartbeat sped up and a smile tugged her lips as she accepted his proffered helmet, twisting it in her hands.

"You look gorgeous," he told her, admiring the sight of his girlfriend in a dress for the first time. The material was a dark blue that complimented her skin tone, cinching around her waist and leaving her shoulders bare. Ayako's dark waves hung loose over one shoulder, light shimmer of makeup glinting like stars on her eyelids. He smiled in amusement at the sight of her wearing something other than eyeliner and lip gloss as his girlfriend was well known for keeping things au naturale.

"Thanks," she said, smiling brightly as she pushed her hair out of her face and slipped the helmet on. She was careful not to let the dress ride up her thighs, settling behind him, arms instinctively coming to wrap around his narrow waist.

"All set?" He asked amicably.

"Aye aye, captain," she said cheekily and he spared her a smile, kick starting the scooter and soon, they were off.

This time, Ayako appreciated the sight of San Fransokyo, passing by shops with neon advertising, Kanji flowing and twining depicting advertisements for their various wares and services. The city was like a glowing ball of energy at night, the urban vibe pulsating like a bass drum in her bones. She could hear snippets of music over the roar of the scooter's engine, flitting by her ears like a skittish butterfly, gone as soon as it came.

The lights and throbbing music faded slowly as they reached the more open roads, heading towards the observation deck that was a famous place for couples to frequent.

If you would have told her that she would be heading out for a date with Tadashi Hamada a few months ago, the Ayako before would have scoffed and internally blushed, returning to her books with a mumbled "yeah, right." Now, with her arms around him and the possibility of a whole, uninterrupted night to spend with him, it was as surreal as it could get for her.

The Observation Deck loomed up ahead, a high rising tower with subdued lights, the only form twinkling at the very top where she knew there was a cafe to cater to hungry tourists. At this time, when all the tour buses had went home, the place was sparsely filled with local cars, a few people milling around as they waited for the lift to take them to the very top.

Ayako had only been here once, a long time ago with both of her parents, the memory fuzzy around the edges as most childhood ones were.

Tadashi parked the scooter and they both got down, Ayako shaking out her hair as she gazed appreciatively at the night sky. It was like looking at a divide that separated two ocean bodies; on one side, there was the brightly lit skyline of San Fransokyo in the distance, lighting up the inky black sky, and on this side, there was a certain calming darkness that surrounded the tower and the trees around them, showing the faint twinkle of stars in the night sky.

Ayako sucked in a breath when she gazed up at the sky. The night was wonderfully clear and she could easily make out Orion's Belt, along with the famous hunter's bow and silhouette. Other stars littered the expanse of dark canvas, lighting the way and although they were rather faded from her position on the ground, they were amazingly breathtaking all the same.

"Shall we go?" Tadashi asked, pulling her out from her reverie.

She nodded. "Sure. Got a little distracted, that's it."

"Seems like a clear night," he hummed and she had to agree with him.

"Yup," and then added teasingly, "sure you didn't check the weather report before heading out here, Hamada?"

"Not a chance, Sorokin," he gloated. "I just have good instincts."

She huffed and laugh and took his outstretch hand, heart doing a somersault in her chest when his warm palm clasped around hers. She snuck a look at her boyfriend, subtly checking him out as she didn't have the privilege before.

Tadashi was dressed in his usual outfit of t-shirt and cardigan, this time forgoing his usual blazer but still keeping his hat which he took from the scooter's compartment and placed it on his head the moment his helmet was of. He looked well rested and clean shaven, calm and relaxed.

She wondered if he could feel her heartbeat steadily picking up at her thoughts, wondering if he felt that way about her too. She glanced down at her attire, suddenly self conscious.

"Are you okay?"

Looking up, she found him smirking. "I-I'm fine. Why'd you ask?" Curse the stutter in her words.

He shrugged. "Seem quieter than usual."

"I'm just wondering how the place would look like from above," she said, letting the excitement creep into her tone. "I wonder if we can see the Big Dipper tonight, I heard its exceptionally clear to make it out, especially at this time of the month and who knows, maybe someone at sea is looking out for the north star on the handle and-"

She trailed off when she saw him suppress a smile.

Her silence alerted him and he motioned for her to continue. "Go on," he encouraged.

She huffed, all adorable petulance now. "Not if you're gonna laugh at me."

"I'm not," Tadashi protested. "I just found it extremely adorable. Now, what were you saying?"

Ayako shook her head, losing her train of thought. "I...I can't remember. Great, now you made me forget what I was going to say."

"Aw, I'm sorry," he teased and glanced back up at the stars. "The only one I remotely know is Orion, and that's from his belt."

"It's my favorite constellation," she said wistfully, gazing at it once more as they made their way to the lifts. Thankfully, the place was sparsely filled with people and they could take the lift unobstructed, unlike during the day time when they had to jostle and fight with tourists just to get a spot.

The glass bubble lift brought them up and she could feel vertigo taking over her as she stared down at the shrinking ground, swooping sensation in her stomach making her cling onto the metal railing in fear as if she could fall at any time.

"I always thought the view was rather scary as a kid," Tadashi admitted, his grip finding purchase with hers as he tightened his hold around her hand. She squeezed it back almost absentmindedly, used to the feeling of him trying to subconsciously seek comfort from her that it was second nature for her to do so.

"Same here. I always had this feeling that maybe I'll fall through."

"That's literally what I thought," and he chuckled, adding, "Hiro would always be the one that would try to scare me by pushing me to the glass wall and I would pay back by giving him a loogie. It used to drive Aunt Cass nuts whenever we did that."

She laughed at the mental image of the Hamada brothers pranking and scaring each other. "God, you two. Did he die a little every time you gave him a loogie?"

Tadashi nodded solemnly. "Like his soul gets sucked out."

She snorted back laughter and recalled one of her fondest memories. "My dad would always joke that if you fall, just start flapping your arms and maybe you can fly. And then my mom would come after him and chastise that it was a pretty stupid thing to tell a five year old who was in love with Superman."

"You liked Superman?"

The lift doors opened and they both stepped out into the cool breeze, San Fransokyo laid before them like a spread of fireflies.

"Yup," she said simply and made her way over to the ledge. There was no one up there except for them and the space felt quiet and private, perfect for their hushed tones. "Loved him and Wonderwoman too."

"Huh," Tadashi said as he took a moment to admire the view. The Red Bridge stood out like a monolith, stretching and winding across a dark sea. Everything resembled tiny blocks of light, making him feel as if he were a star watching the city benignly from above.

"It's so beautiful," she breathed and Tadashi chanced a glance at her. With the wind in her hair and wonder in her eyes, she was as beautiful as the view below and he longed to sweep her in his arms and kiss her thoroughly. His fingers twitched and he had to forcefully reign himself before he did something stupid.

He forced a chuckle. "It sure is."

They fell in a companionable silence, quietened by the awe of nature and works of man combining under one glimmering sky. He glanced at her again and found her smiling wistfully, no doubt in the throes of nostalgia.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She looked to him and shrugged. "I'm just remembering that my dad used to tell me that if I try hard enough, I can make the city fit on one piece of paper." Ayako paused to consider her next words. "Tried it. Failed miserably."

"Hey, it's okay. As someone once told me, art should be felt, not calculated." Tadashi grinned cheekily at her, recalling the words she imparted on him during his visit to her gallery.

"True," she remarked. "And it's also very subjective and depending on how the artist feels."

"Just like inventing."

"Mhm hmm."

Tadashi found himself struggling for words when Ayako asked him another question.

"So, did anyone influence you on your love for robotics?"

He took some time to answer, unsure if this would put a damp on their mood. If he were to tell her the truth, he would say that it was his father's love of tinkering and his mother's passion for assorting that got him interested in robotics the very first time they bought him a 'Do-It-Yourself' Robotic Kit. He had loved the rush he got from remaking something out of random parts; the giddy excitement when he could change things up by removing or adding another part.

He also didn't want to tell her that when his parent's died, he couldn't even pick up a wrench, too heartbroken at the memory of Sunday afternoon building sessions where his father would sit and guide him while his mother made some tea and gave her valuable input.

It was times like these that made him miss his parent's the most and what originally guided him in exposing Hiro to the world of robotics when his brother was older, wanting to let the legacy of his parent's live on.

Even now, he could feel the slight pang in his heart at the remembrance of his mother and father.

And so he shrugged, giving a noncommittal answer.

"My dad," he replied shortly and Ayako knew not to pry, sensing his hesitance to continue with the subject. Instead, she changed it, staring up at the sky and pointing at a random constellation.

"Two guesses says that you know what that is," she started.

He followed the direction in which she was pointing and broke out into a smile. Easy, that was his favorite constellation.

"Ursa Major," he said and she smiled.

Ayako gazed up at the sky, the light from the stars touching her features.

"Someone once told me that when you gaze at stars, you're looking at the start of creation," she said in a hushed tone.

Tadashi didn't know what to make of her words and so he followed her lead, gazing at the night sky. "Someone once told me that the action of gazing at stars was staring into a cosmic abyss with only gravity holding you to the ground."

She huffed a laugh. "Well, there are two kinds of people."

Eventually, they grew weary of the view and Ayako made a face.

"I'm hungry," she said and he had to laugh at the childish pout she wore on her face.

"You're too adorable," he commented offhandedly and she blushed.

Ayako leveled him a playful glare as she said, "you better feed me before I turn into one of those Hydra constellations."

Her boyfriend raised his arms up in mock surrender. "All right, all mighty and powerful beast. Let's head to the cafe."

"Oh, and I was just kidding about the feeding me part," she added hastily, "I don't mind if you want me to pay."

He scoffed, just the thought of letting her pay making his ego cringe.

"Please. I'm paying, don't you worry."

"Roger that, cap'n," she replied brightly as they made their way up a few steps and came to the front of the Deck's cafe.

Closing time would be in another two more hours and they were lucky, getting there in time. The cafe was not as ornately decorated as the Lucky Cat, with wooden chairs, marble tables and small lights hanging above each section. It gave off a sort of Italian Bistro vibe that Ayako immediately adored, having frequented almost every bistro in San Fransokyo with her friends once to find the best cup of latte.

A waiter showed them to a table, pushing two menus. They ordered and the he left them alone, sojourning back to the kitchen.

Ayako couldn't help but appreciate the aesthetic of the cafe, remembering all those times when Lucy and Keiro would drag her out of college because they claimed she was 'too nerdy' for staying back in the library for research, driving halfway across town just to try some coffee that had vaguely good reviews on their favorite food recommendation blogs.

At the thought of her college, Ayako couldn't help the frown on her face, something that Tadashi noticed.

"Is everything okay?"

She took a breath. "Nothing, just thinking about my college and the scholarship program."

Every year, S.F.A.I would award a scholarship to a student based on their merit in class, marks in projects and overall good attitude. Ayako had applied last year and word had reached back to her from the administrative quarters that she was eligible for the scholarship...that is if she managed to earn an A+ for her latest project due in another four months time.

The student had still not gotten any inspiration at all and it was starting to make her antsy.

"A scholarship program?"

"Yeah," she said, "The Art Institute awards at least four scholarships a year to noteworthy students and I applied for it last year cause my professor encouraged me to." She shrugged. "They got back to me and told me that I would be eligible for it, depending if I could get an A+ for my last project."

"Sounds...tough, but I'm sure you could do it," he encouraged, smiling slightly. "So, what does the scholarship entail?"

"Just two semesters free off fees and an internship to Koi Graphic Designing Corporate," she said wistfully. Koi Corporate was one of the ultimate goal for most students, the company having received a lot of S.F.A.I alums and launching their successful careers.

One of the main reasons why she decided to join the Art Institute was the partnership with Koi, that detail being one of the most interesting.

"Whoa, internship?" He asked, amazed.

"Yeah," she enthused. "Koi is really famous for launching a lot of artist's careers and not to mention they're the top leading graphic corporate in San Fransokyo."

Tadashi looked thoughtful. "Hmm, what about doing something with constellations?"

His idea seemed legit, but she couldn't come up with anything else other than drawing stars on blank pieces of dark paper. And nobody would want to give her a scholarship based on  _that._

"Sounds great but it has to be something really spectacular," she confided, grimacing. "So spectacular, that it wows the scholarship scouts in the college and at Koi."

"Huh, who knew art could be so stressful."

Ayako rolled her eyes playfully, grinning. "Finally, someone said it. My mom just thinks that it's connecting two dots together and coloring it in. The things she doesn't know."

Their food came and she relished in the cheesy smell of pasta.

"Your mom didn't want you to take art?"

She froze from spooning another mouthful of food, aware that she had let slip something personal she was so sure Tadashi wouldn't know about her for another ten years. Or maybe never.

Clearing her throat, her gaze darted around the vicinity, suddenly unable to make eye contact with him.

Tadashi sensed her hesitance and immediately looked apologetic. "Sensitive topic?"

She hummed in agreement. "Maybe I'll save this story for later...when there's vodka around or something like that."

"Hey, listen." He reached out for her hand and she looked up to find his gaze probing, no air of judgement whatsoever. "I may not know what's going on between you and your mom, but if you ever need to talk, my ears are always open – well, they are cause they're kinda huge."

She giggled at his words and realized that, yes, they were sort of sticking out from his head.

"Still adorable," Ayako said, smiling shyly.

He returned her smile with one of his, and no words could speak of how comfortable they were with each other.

~~O~~O~~

The ride back was just as colorful as the last, although the tiredness in which she was feeling left the neon signs and drunken singing a little subdued. When she sat behind him, arms wrapped tightly around his waist, wind in her hair and smarting her eyes...it was as if she could conquer anything, a confident David facing down a humongous Goliath for a change.

Elation and contentment competed for a chance to be felt, settling in her nerves like adrenaline-laced-nicotine.

He pulled up at her apartment and she got down, handing him back his helmet. Tadashi took it, still astride his scooter as he switched off the ignition.

"Thank you for tonight," she said with a shy smile after a moment of silence. "It was really fun."

"It was amazing for me too," he said, grinning. Somehow, their hands were clasped together, sneaking up on her that she hadn't realize until they were doing it. The warmth from his palm soothed her and she sighed, leaning in closer, surprised when he did the same thing too.

Ayako held her breath, wondering if he was going to kiss her.

Tadashi mirrored her actions, moving in closer, her heartbeat jumping erratically in her chest.

Closer...

Closer...

The loud slam of a car door closing made them spring apart, blushes staining their cheeks at the rude interruption.

Disappointment flared in her chest. They were so, so close.

Tadashi cleared his throat and plastered on a smile. "Hope we can do this again soon."

She knew for a fact that he wasn't just talking about their date.

"Yeah," she agreed wholeheartedly, "me too."

She turned around to leave, his palm slipping from hers, already missing the gentle warmth now that it was absent.

"Wait, 'Yako."

Turning around, she was caught off guard when he grabbed her wrist to pull her closer. He clumsily placed a kiss on her forehead, not at all aware that her breath had caught.

His lips were wonderfully soft and she ached to feel them on hers, but the moment was ruined when he let her drifted back, inches of space between them once more.

"Just wanted to say goodnight," he added softly, gaze twinkling.

She numbly nodded. "All right. Night." Daze and surprised was an understatement.

It was only around midnight when she was up alone did she think that her words were the most lamest response ever, proceeding to cause her second hand embarrassment and cover her face, blushing furiously from the memory of his smirk as he started the ignition and rode away.

 _God, 'Yako,_  she mentally bemoaned.  _You are such a dork_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unrealistic first date expectations lmao. Honestly, most real life first dates are truly awkward ordeals unless you knew that person for awhile before the date. Tell me what you think, whether it was romantic enough and did it make you guys squeal?  
> Reviews are like caramel popcorn, it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart.


	15. Revelations and Midnight Kisses

**I wanna make you feel how I feel when I'm listening to love songs, I wanna take you to the peak of everything that you are, You're everything I need tonight...**

**\- Four Walls; Broods**

* * *

Ayako came back home to silence, the ever present sounds of her mother working in the kitchen or the humming of voices from the television absent. Warning bells chimed in her head as she entered the space, alert for anything suspicious.

In the back of her mind, she knew she was suppose to leave the house and call her mother should something weird happen. But she walked in, closing the door behind her.

She gazed around the room, noting that everything seemed as it was. Everything was in place, no signs of struggle, the kitchen was clean. The only thing that was different was the takeout on the dining table and Ayako relaxed, knowing that it was only her mother.

She chuckled at herself for being so twitchy and called out, "mom?"

"Here," her mother said, exiting her bedroom. Ayako knew that something was immediately wrong.

Masaki Ito wore a frown on her face. Although her passive expression wasn't anything different, the tight clenching of her jaw was enough to warrant a problem to her daughter.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Ms. Ito walked over, placing her hands on Ayako's small shoulders. Fear gripped the young woman and she said, "mom? Are you okay? You're scaring me."

Then, her mother uttered the words that she thought would never leave her mouth. She had been dreaming of this day since two years ago, since her family split up and disintegrated as if they had never existed.

"Your father called... and he wants you to visit him in Russia."

Her heart fell into the depths of her stomach like a cold stone.

She gaped at her mother's words.

"Please tell me you're not joking."

Her mother shook her head. "No. I'm not joking." She took a deep breath and continued.

"Your father left a message on the phone for me. I tried to call him back but he wouldn't pick up." A bitter look stole across her face. "Must've chickened out, that coward."

Ayako huffed in disbelief. "After two years? After two freaking years and he left a message? He didn't even asked for me?"

Masaki's silence was all the confirmation she needed.

Ayako felt as if somebody had threw a punch to her gut, causing all her breath to escape in a rushed exhale.

Her father had finally made contact. Her dad wanted her to visit Russia.

Her head buzzed like it was filled with bees, a million thoughts competing at once to be heard.

"When does he want me down?" She couldn't stop the gushing of words now that she had the chance. "Did he say to bring something warm? Does he want his old records back? I could-"

"You're not seriously thinking of going, are you?" Her mother sounded aghast, as if the notion of Ayako wanting to leave was ridiculous.

She frowned. "Of course I want to. I haven't seen him in years and-"

"But he never even tried to call you up. All he did was leave a message." The scorn in her voice went unnoticed to the young woman.

"Mom... I have to go... I miss-"

"Don't say that," her mother whispered harshly.

The atmosphere in the room nosedived, leaving a stunned silence in its wake.

The words were like bitter drops on her tongue, as bitter as her sudden realization. "You don't want me to go, don't you?" She tried to reason that this was what her mother would have wanted – what type of mother didn't let her daughter meet her own father, anyway? But as soon as the words left her lips, she knew it was true.

Her mother didn't want her to go down to Russia. She was pretty sure Masaki didn't even give it a second thought.

Dark blue eyes so much like her father clouded over in sadness and without another word, she turned on her heel and headed out of the door.

"Ayako, where are you going?"

She flinched at the anger in her voice but didn't turn back.

"I have a meeting with a friend. I'm going to be late."

"Ayako-"

"I'll be back around eleven. Don't wait up for me."

And just like that, she walked out on her mother, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

She knew her mother wouldn't come after her, not when she was this angry.

The young woman hastened her stride as fast as her legs could push her away from the apartment. She wasn't lying when she said she had a meeting with a friend, the familiar cafe coming in sight.

She pushed open the doors and was immediately greeted by Aunt Cass.

"Hey, Ayako," the older woman said with a bright smile.

"Hey, Cass," she replied easily. "Where's Tadashi?"

Cass gestured to the basement below and Ayako thanked her, heading down that direction.

She opened the door, walking briskly down the lit corridor and stopping by the opening. Tadashi was seated by the table, head bent over what appeared to be a new circuit that he was soldering. She tapped on the door frame and successfully caught his attention.

"Ayako," he said, grinning. "It's a little too early-"

"I know," she said, standing by the doorway and suddenly feeling self-conscious. "It's just... I needed to escape here... for a bit." She didn't know what was proper relationship protocol; whether spilling everything was wise, or if it was even advisable to bare so much in such a short time.

The worry masking her features must have gave him the wrong notion.

His expression turned alarmed.

"Why? Is somebody after you? Was it that same strange man again?" He referred to the blue mo-hawk guy that had harassed her a few weeks ago. The incident felt like eons ago to her, and she was surprise he still remembered.

"No, no, and no," Ayako muttered, walking over to him. She sat down beside him on the couch and turned to face him. "Nothing of that sort."

"Are you all right?" His work abandoned, Tadashi made his way over to her and sat down, wrapping a comforting arm around her. She twined her fingers with his and leaned back into his side, trying to stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks.

"It's... it's my dad."

"Y-Your dad?" Tadashi felt perplexed. "I thought you said he was gone?"

She gave a humorless chuckle at that and shook her head. "He's not gone as in the real sense but he's never around." Ayako took a deep breath, deciding to tell him everything. Here goes nothing.

"My dad left my mom two years ago and moved down back to Russia where he found himself a new... family. Since then, I haven't heard from him. Until today."

He nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"He left me a voice message, asking if I could come down to Russia with him and stay for a month and..." Her throat tightened at this part of the story.

"...And my mom didn't let me. She completely shut me off, telling me that I shouldn't even think about it." The young woman took a deep, shuddering breath, blue eyes clouding over like the darkening skies with sadness. "I haven't spoken to my father in two years and the first time he reached out, she completely shut me down."

He rubbed soothing circles on her back and she tightened her grip on his hold, thinking that if he pulled away now, it would hurt her aching heart a bit more. But Tadashi didn't, sitting in the silence as he struggled to find the words to say.

"I'm really sorry for your family," he said, sincere. The young man had heard a lot of heart breaking stories about families falling apart and it always made him sad. Hers was no exception. "I don't think I'll ever understand what you're going through but I want you to know that you're not alone, okay?"

She nodded.

"Thanks."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Did your father tell you anything else?"

"No, he just asked me if I wanted to come down for a month." She huffed a dry laugh. "And I didn't even tell him what my answer would be."

"Do you want to borrow my phone?" Tadashi offered. "You could call him."

"N-No, it's okay," she replied hastily. "I don't want to cost you too much money cause Russia's call rates are crazy expensive."

Ayako should know firsthand after wasting nearly three thousand yen on calling her father who didn't even pick up once.

"I insist," he said, standing up, reaching in his pockets and retrieving the sleek device.

She took it gingerly, sparing a smile of gratitude before dialing the number that she had memorized to heart.

Her father picked up after the first ring.

"Hello?"

Tears streamed down her cheeks at the sound of her father's warm, rough voice.

"Dad?"

The other end fell silent and she could hear her father moving around.

"Ayako," he said, the relief in his voice palpable.

"Hey, dad."

"My sweet girl. No words can say how much I'm so sorry for leaving you behind. I've been busy starting from scratch and only got a phone last week. It's been hard here, sweetheart."

She huffed a laugh, wiping the moisture off her face with a free hand. "It's okay dad. The most important thing is that you're okay."

"Did you get my message?"

"Yeah, I did."

"How's... how's your mother?"

"Different," she said in a soft tone. "We're all different, dad."

Her father grunted and she could just picture him tugging on his collar, something he did when he was nervous.

"I don't blame her. We had a hell of a fight the last time I saw her."

"Yeah, yeah we did."

Tadashi had moved out of earshot, to give her some privacy and for that she was grateful. Her heart twitched with fondness for this amazing guy who was just so right in every way.

"I heard that you went to the Art Institute that we talked about," he said amicably.

"I did. I wanted to, anyway. A life of biology was just too much for me."

"Good girl," her father said with pride in his voice. "Listen, you are free around August right?"

"Yeah, it's a semester break."

"Great. I'll book the ticket for you and all you have to do is just pack your bags and head down here. Donna told me that she would love to meet you and I want you to meet her too."

"Donna?" she echoed in confusion.

"Um... my wife."

"Oh. Right. Um, dad, mom kinda told me..." She trailed off, unsure if she should tell her father. It felt as if she were betraying her mother by letting her father know.

"Right. I should've known. Try and change her mind, kiddo. I'll be waiting for your answer, okay?"

"Okay, dad."

"I miss you."

"Miss you too."

Her dad chuckled and the rich sound just made her miss him even more. " _Ya tebya liubliu_ ," he said.

A smile appeared on her face.

" _Ya tebya liubliu, papa_. Bye."

"Goodbye." The phone clicked shut and she switched off the call, handing it back to Tadashi.

He took it from her, giving her a worried look. "You okay?"

"Never been better. Thank you, by the way."

He smiled when he saw how happy she was. "You're welcome. So, your dad confirmed the message?"

"Yeah. Now, all I have to do is get my mom to agree and everything will be fine," Ayako said, eyes twinkling with hope.

"I didn't know you were going through this, Ayako," he said, frowning as he sat next to her again. "And I didn't even ask...god, I feel like such a bad-"

"Hey, don't be," she chastised, holding his hand once more. "I didn't want to tell because I thought it didn't matter. But wow, things do change in a matter of seconds." She still couldn't believe; the stuff of her dreams had happened all in a span of a few minutes, throwing her off. Thoughts of whether this was a dream made her feel doubtful that the conversation with her father had even happened.

His smile was amicable. "I'm really glad for you."

She gave him a grateful smile, shrugging sheepishly. "Did I interrupt you here?" She gestured to the messy desk.

Tadashi laughed, a sound filled with happiness that it made her smile lift up.

"No, no you didn't." He grinned mischievously. "Tadashi Hamada, shoulder to cry on extraordinaire at your service."

"Ha," she snorted. "I didn't even use your shoulder, science boy."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "But you nearly did and it's the thought that counts."

Ayako scoffed, ruffling his hair that wasn't covered by his usual cap.

She stood up and stretched her legs. "You know what, you just work. I'll hang here and make no noise."

"Really? I can't concentrate when you're here."

The young woman sneaked a look at him. "And why's that? Is it because I take up too much space."

"What? N-No, I'm just trying to say... that you're distracting, that's all," he finished lamely. Tadashi shook his head, cheeks coloring a bright red.

"Don't take it the wrong way – I-I love having you around here cause I like you – I mean-"

"Dude, it's okay," she said with a small laugh. "I understand."

Tadashi huffed and sat back on the chair, facing his work. "Forget I even said that. Actually, scratch out my whole existence from your head during the last few minutes."

She shook her head even if he couldn't see, lips pressed together in a smile. "Nuh uh. I'm gonna cherish that memory as much as I can."

His shoulders lifted in a shrug and she decided not to disturb him anymore, strolling towards the desk at the end of the basement lab.

A picture on the desk caught her attention and she picked it up. It was a photo of a young boy with a neat crop of black hair and wide, brown eyes standing in front of two people who must have been his parents, grinning into the camera.

The woman was holding a bundle in her arms which had a tiny face peeking out from it, fast asleep. Beside her, a man with obsidian eyes smiled into the camera, an arm around her and one hand on the young boy's head. The woman looked a lot like Hiro, with his wide brown eyes and messy hair. The man had Tadashi's jaw and a head full of dark hair that looked like his older son.

She didn't have to ask to know that these were his parents.

Ayako was curious. If these were his parents but the boys were taken care by Aunt Cass, then what happened to them? She had once wondered where his parents were and was too afraid to ask him. But now that he had seen the secret side of her that not many knew, it filled her with a sense of courage to walk the next few steps, frame in hand.

She headed over to him.

Tadashi looked up at her with a smirk. "Already trying to distract me again?" His eyes trailed down to the frame in her hold, the smirk disappearing.

"A-Are they your parents?"

He took the photo from her and placed it on the desk. For a moment, she wondered if she had angered him, as this was something private and she had taken it without permission. Yet, Tadashi didn't look irritated, merely smiling wistfully.

"Yeah, they are."

A faraway look stole over his eyes. "They died in a car crash, a few days after Hiro's third birthday."

She felt her heart clench in pain at the sad news. Poor Tadashi and Hiro, having lost their parents at such a young age.

"You were only nine?" Somehow, that thought made her even more sad. She could just imagine a lost Tadashi trying to be a grown up for his brother, having to be an adult at such a young age. That would explain why he was so much more mature than any guy she had ever known.

He must've been forced to grow up.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," Ayako said in a soft voice.

Tadashi's hand drifted over hers, warmth encasing her smaller digits. "Don't be. It was a long time ago."

The silence between them was filled with pure emotion, from the reverie of her father to the truth about his parents. Ayako wondered how they went from trading ideas, to a tentative relationship, to sharing deep revelations with each other in such a short time. She reasoned that it might've been the insane level of comfort they had with each other. Ayako felt as if she knew Tadashi, knew him inside out, and whatever he had to say to her could never cause judgement.

Tadashi stood up and picked the frame, placing the it back on the other desk, expression unreadable.

"Did I pry too much?"

He startled, as if not realizing that she was still here.

An easy smile tugged on his lips. "It's all right, I don't mind. It really was a long time ago."

Something about the casual way he said it made her feel like wrapping her arms around him, if only to glean some comfort for herself. It was selfish, but she felt as if the news of his parents affected her more than him...although she reasoned that he had ten years to work through the pain and grief.

Her eyes looked over his work, desperate to find something to change the subject.

They landed on the green chip sitting innocuously in the middle of the desk. "So, how's the programming for Baymax going?"

"Great," he replied, gesturing at the chip, "I already have about three thousand medical procedures programmed in there. Now, I need seven thousand more."

"Well, aren't you a busy bee," she said, smirking.

He shrugged. "I have to. Baymax should be up and running before the showcase."

"The showcase?" She asked, interested.

"Yeah. S.F.I.T's having a showcase this year and I intend to showcase Baymax there to greet the rest of the attendees. Although, if Hiro does decide to show up and enroll in the college, I wouldn't want to steal the spotlight from him."

"How's the little guy, anyway?"

Tadashi frowned, the topic of his brother affecting him. "I don't know. It's like he's keeping something from me and I hate it when he does that."

"He's just growing up, don't worry," Ayako coached. "He'll tell you stuff when he's ready."

"Still doesn't make it comfortable though."

"Of course. But he won't remain your baby brother for forever."

Tadashi gave a hollow laugh. "That's what everyone keeps telling me."

She reached out and twined her fingers with his, touch gentle and giving him enough space to pull back if he wanted to. "Don't worry, he'll be fine since he has you as a big brother."

He chuckled. "I hope so."

She peered down at his plans, asking him more questions. They ended up talking, with Tadashi occasionally fixing up his chip and surfing the internet for different procedures to download into the chip.

"Should he have something to fix syphilis?"

Tadashi frowned. "Would people actually ask the cure for that?"

Ayako shrugged. "You might never know if someone's desperate enough."

He followed her gesture as he typed that in the search engine.

They went on like that for a few moments, with Ayako asking him questions and suggesting funny things, with Tadashi chuckling at some of her more outlandish suggestions.

"How about we get him to imitate a purring cat when someone's sad?"

"That would work... if I were building a cat robot."

"Hmm, yeah. Hey, what about giving relationship advice? I vote that you call him the Love Guru to activate his more... experienced relationship side."

Tadashi snorted, indulging her by downloading the whole file on a dating website. "Just so you know, that isn't a medical procedure."

"It could be," she chirped, grinning as she leaned over him.

They continued like that for another hour before Tadashi called it a night, standing up from the computer and rubbing his tired eyes.

She stretched, feeling the muscles warm up from sitting for too long.

"Guess I should go," the young woman said, sparing him a smile. "Thanks for letting me hang around here."

"You're welcome... and you can come here anytime, I won't mind."

She felt touched by his generosity and before she could stop herself, wrapped her arms around him, standing on tiptoe so that she could lay her head against his shoulder.

"And thanks for helping me with my dad."

He huffed a small laugh and wrapped his arms around her, face heating up from her proximity. Tadashi wondered when he could will himself to go past the simple hugs and gentle hand-holding to a real kiss, knowing that their relationship wasn't one to rush things out.

Which was funny because in his other previous relationships, they would always progress to the kissing part fairly quick, sometimes after a few days. He had been reckless with other girls, but with her, he hesitated, realizing that there hadn't been a good timing or mood for the kiss to start naturally.

Yes, that's it.  _Naturally_. He wanted things to go their natural course.

Their relationship was slow progress, all too steady and for one, fleeting moment, he wondered if there was something wrong with them.

* * *

She felt his cheek against her head and couldn't help the flip in her stomach at his closeness. He was so warm and comforting, embrace inviting like freshly laundered blankets, making her never want to let go.

Ayako detached herself from him but still kept her arms lingering around his waist, his grip tightening around her.

Their eyes met and a zing of electricity ran down her spine, rendering her breathless and pinned to the spot by his warm brown eyes. She could feel herself drowning in their tenderness, not noticing when her face drifted closer to his.

Tadashi too seemed transfixed, leaning in closer. A few inches remained between them and she could see him swallow, Adam's apple bobbing in what seemed like nervousness.

He was waiting for her to make the first move.

She felt a grin tug on her lips at his actions. Always a gentleman to the end.

Ayako leaned in closer, the anticipation burning her throat like liquid fire. If he would just...

A blunt object hit the side of her head and she cringed back. Tadashi paused midway too, eyes wide at the sudden distraction.

Curses. It was his hat.

They both chuckled at the unassuming interruption and Ayako tilted her head, trying her best to avoid the cap as they moved closer again.

No use. She winced again when the bill bumped against her temple this time.

She was just on the verge of ripping the cap from his head when he removed it and, with blinding speed, tossed it on the couch.

* * *

_Oh my god, oh my god._

One part of his mind couldn't believe that this was happening while the other was egging him on.

_Come on Hamada, come on. Now's as good a time as any._

He took a shuddering breath and closed the distance between their waiting lips.

* * *

His lips pressed to hers in a gentle kiss. She made a small noise of surprise in the back of her throat at his sudden move, her system not comprehending that she was kissing Tadashi Hamada, going into sensory shock. When the crippling amazement sidled down to something bearable, she moved in closer, inclining her head.

The kiss was warm and soft, sending little sparks down her skin, making her feel like a live wire. Alive. She felt alive. He made her feel like a thrumming string of pure life.

Her palm cupped his face, the other roaming over his hair, gripping the soft locks as she pulled him nearer. His touch didn't linger long around her waist, one hand drifting up to twine in her hair at the nape of her neck and hold her in place.

Their lips moved with such ease that it left her breathless, heart beating almost fast in the cavity of her chest. She pulled back to take a much needed breath of air. He opened his eyes and she could see that they had dilated, wide with surprise.

She knew that her expression probably mirrored his.

"Wow," he mouthed.

Ayako giggled, hands drifting up to his shoulders. She pressed her lips to his again, this time melting into the happiness, heart thrumming like a hummingbird in her rib cage.

She could feel his ragged breath caressing her lips when she broke away, smiling. Tadashi grinned and pecked her lips one last time.

His hands left her hair and wrapped around her waist. She turned her face away and pressed it into his shoulder, hoping he didn't have to see the bright, embarrassed flush on her cheeks.

"That took us long enough," he said in a soft voice, referring to those few weeks of inexplicable tension between them leading up to this moment.

"Yeah," she whispered shyly.

She nuzzled his chest for a moment before letting go, knowing that if she didn't pull back now, they would never separate. The smell of musk, his light cologne and lavender fabric softener tickled her nostrils, the scent embedded in her mind.

"I have to go," Ayako said, blushing at the mess she had made of his hair. She didn't need a mirror to know that her hair was probably mused up too.

Tadashi nodded, eyes soft. "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she said, biting her lip as she walked away, his fingers twining light around hers, as if he were unwilling to let her go. "Definitely."

His face disappeared behind the room's walls and she let out a huff of laughter, goofy smile pulling on her lips. From the room, she heard him whoop and Ayako laughed, contemplating returning back there. She knew she would never want to leave the lab if she did.

And honestly, that thought didn't bother her in the slightest.

* * *

His hands were  _actually_  shaking.

Tadashi couldn't help the wide grin spread across his face, beyond belief that this had happened. His fingers drifted to graze his mouth, wanting to seek the physical branding of her kiss.

He replayed their last few moments together, like a mental montage reel; the curve of her body into his, her hooded gaze, her small gasp of surprise when he finally kissed her. He remembered the softness of her lips, the feminine scent of almonds wafting from her neck and hair.

Excitement and happiness ignited deep within his soul, causing Tadashi to pump his fist and whoop loudly.

He didn't care if someone had heard him, if someone were to walk in right now and catch him dancing to a silent beat.

All he cared about was that he had kissed her.

He,  _Tadashi Hamada_ , had kissed  _Ayako._

And damn if that thought didn't make him smile wider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you guys like that for their first kiss?  
> I hope it was everything you guys expected. Reviews are definitely appreciated!


	16. On My Mind, Like Rewind

He didn't mean to start daydreaming in class. Tadashi was usually a diligent student, taking down notes and listening with a sort of rapture that was unheard of for a third semester student. But something felt off today. In front of him, two girls were fast asleep, one drooling on her slide notes. On the other side of the lecture theater, an engineering student was playing a game on his phone, eyes glazed over in boredom.

He did try to tune in to the lecture, but the sudden humidity coupled with the amount of sleep he had last night (barely even three hours due to a physics assignment), caused his eyes to slip close.

Unbidden, memories of their date surfaced in his mind, and Professor Sullivan's calculus equations on the board changed into an image of her, sparkling smile blending into one together with the stars from up above.

Tadashi dropped his gaze down to his textbook, palm cupping his cheek as he thought how perfect their date had been, and their amazing first kiss back in the lab.

He had expected things to get weird between them after the change in their relationship . But they didn't.

If anything, things got better.

Their texts had been more flirty, more spontaneous and romantic.

She often texted him in between classes, saying little things like how much she missed him, how she was thinking of him and how she wished he were here with her right now.

Tadashi had responded in kind, goofy smile in place and ever present tug of longing deep in his chest. He would always respond to her no matter the time of the day, except when he was in the lab, as experiments required th utmost concentration and he couldn't afford to lose in-class merit marks.

It had become so bad, that the gang had taken to cooing and groaning whenever his phone beeped with another message, prompting him to glare at them. If he was being cheeky, he would tell them that it was frome either Aunt Cass, Hiro, or the department of finance updating him on his Dean Scholarship payments.

None of his friends were amused.

_"It's like that phone is permanently glued in your hands," GoGo commented once during lunch, on the rare occasion that the whole gang could sit and eat together._

_Honey cooed. "Oh, come off it. He's in love, can't you see?"_

_GoGo rolled her eyes and went back to her sandwich, finding food more interesting than this whole ordeal._

_"I'm just saying, isn't it weird that you text each other all day and she heads over to the lab on most nights?" Fred asked, twirling an apple on the tip of his index finger. "What do you guys talk about there?"_

_Wasabi made a sound of surprise and Honey clapped her hands together in glee; GoGo looked up from her meal with a look of disbelief._

_"What?" Fred asked, oblivious to the situation that he had just created._

_"Oh my God, Fred," Tadashi groaned, "you weren't supposed to tell them. It was a secret."_

_Fred's expression turned alarm and he dropped the apple, fruit rolling and stopping just shy from GoGo's bottled kale smoothie. "Um. Oops?"_

_"You brought her into the lab?" GoGo asked, raising a brow. "Big nerve you got there. Especially when you told us we couldn't go there because you were always busy doing something."_

_"Probably Ayako," Wasabi piped up, nonchalant._

_Tadashi, who had been taking a big swing from his bottle of water, nearly spat the liquid out. He forced himself to swallow, thumping his chest to stop the racking coughs rattling in his throat._

_Honey was laughing and GoGo smirked, high-fiving Wasabi. Fred made an 'ooh' sound and clapped him on the back. "I always knew you had that in you, tiger. Rawr!"_

_"I-I do not," he said rather shakily, eyes watering from his near choking experience. "We...we..."_

_"Come on, we won't judge," Fred promised, waggling his eyebrows. "So, did you guys do it yet?"_

_Tadashi crinkled his brow in a look of disbelief. "W-W-What...I- huh?" His face was red as a tomato and gave his friends the wrong impression._

_Wasabi picked up a round, green grape and polished it with his napkin. "Nobody wants to hear your sex life, Hamada."_

_"Well, you brought it up first," Tadashi replied testily, and the rest of the gang agreed._

_Wasabi grinned, and if he wanted to, would lead the round of teasing. "And yet, you didn't deny it."_

_The rest of the team broke out in whoops and laughter when Tadashi merely glared at him, cheeks reddened a bright rogue, tugging the bill of his cap down so that they couldn't see his face._

Tadashi came out from his reverie in time to find Professor Sullivan switching to the next slide, talking on and on about limitation values and how to evaluate them based on the mathematical law.

He shook his head and told himself to concentrate, not wanting to get caught red handed for daydreaming.

Professor Sullivan was a dedicated lecturer, a little absentminded and oblivious to when his class was bored out of their wits, but as far as requirements came, he had a brilliant mind in calculus.

The slide showed the different graphs and Tadashi's quick mind ran over the details, from the axis to the values and relaxed. Easy, he knew this chapter well enough, having read it once out of boredom.

He wondered how Ayako was doing, if she could concentrate in her classes too. He imagined her bent over a drawing pad, sketching in quick succession, bringing to life lines and curves which told a story of their own. He imagined her hair up in a high ponytail, to avoid the strands from distracting her. He imagined walking over to her and kissing the back of her bare neck, feeling her shiver as he wrapped his arms around her torso, turning around and cupping her cheek with his larger palm...

"And now, we shall move on to the graph depictions of the variate under..."

Professor Sullivan's voice shifted out of focus once more and he recalled the way how her lips tasted – like strawberry chap stick – and how soft they were molded with his.

He remembered the taste of tears, how he wanted to hold her close to his chest to erase her hurt away. The memory of how his heart trembled like a leaf in a storm when she pressed closer made him shiver lightly and her intoxicating  _scent_...God, he needed her.

Tadashi removed his phone from his pocket and texted her a quick, 'hey, thinking of you right now.' He tucked the phone back and continued to listen in on the lecture, hoping she would reply to him soon.

~~O~~O~~

"What's with that happy face?" Mike asked, peering over at her screen during lunch.

Ayako squeaked in surprise and lowered her phone, surprise to find her friends giving her various looks of amusement.

Lucy rolled her eyes and patted Mike's forearm, near his tattoo of a twining dragon disappearing into the rolled up sleeve of his sweater. "Ignore Ayako's seven heaven look when her boyfriend texts her. That's been happening for so long that you kinda get used to it."

Mike looked thoughtful for a moment and he smiled. "Oh my gosh, you mean that cute guy in Sandy's that you dragged in?"

Ayako nodded, lips pressed together to keep from laughing at the absurd way in which she had asked him if he wanted to be in a relationship.

Miko and Keiro both shared looks of confusion. "You didn't tell us that you have a boyfriend," Keiro said, cocking her head. Miko nodded, lifting a dyed eyebrow.

"Yeah, 'Yako. Why didn't you tell us of this new development?"

Keiro and Miko were staring at her in expectation and she blushed under their scrutinizing looks.

She had been friends with the both of them since orientation day, Keiro only having joined their little group last year since they had media designing classes together. Miko was friends with Lucy who had introduced the two girls, Ayako appreciating her quirky sense of style.

Miko was a short girl (even shorter than her), with dyed blue streaks in her hair and the same electric hue in her eyebrows. Keiro was more of a sports person, constantly in sneakers and football jerseys, brown hair tied up in a demure ponytail.

"Um, yeah. Mike was there, you can ask him."

Keiro rolled her eyes. "We want to hear it from  _you_ , doofus."

"What? Why?" She asked through a chuckle.

Her friends started to protest and she lifted up a hand to stop them. "Okay, okay. I'll spill."

She took a deep breath and all of her friends leaned forward, eager to hear the untold story. Ayako couldn't help it; she was a naturally secretive person and didn't like to divulge her personal life with people unless they were super close with her (as in Lucy's case). And yet, she didn't tell Lucy the in-depth details, the red head cupping her face with her palms as she moved in closer, look of curiosity sparking in her bright blue eyes.

"Okay. Mike, you remember the day that I let you meet Tadashi?"

The blonde man nodded, smirking. "I remember. And I also remember you both trying to make me jealous for being single."

Ayako flushed at that, mumbling, "right."

She cleared her throat. "Okay, I was having lunch with Mike and discussing our project components for the group paper when my boyfriend sent in his friend to spy on us. He thought I was on a date with Mike."

The deadpan way in how she said that coupled with the bright blush decorating her cheeks made the other girls burst out laughing. Keiro giggled and she said, "must've been a shock when he discovered that Mike has no interest in girls aside from Oprah Winfrey."

"Hey," Mike called out, indignant. "I love that woman's sense of style."

"Yeah," Ayako said, appreciating her friend's sense of humor. "Tadashi literally wanted nothing more than to disappear into the ground. But before that, I wanted him to meet Mike to erase any doubts he had of the both of us. So, I introduced him as my boyfriend, we made it official three minutes later and voila. Here we are."

Miko sighed, "God, that is so romantic."

"...romantically awkward," Keiro said and Lucy agreed.

"And he just consented to be your boyfriend, just like that?" Mike asked, surprised. "I thought he already  _was_  your boyfriend."

"No," she admitted, "we still weren't official and I wanted to do something to not make him feel jealous anymore."

Mike appraised her with a smug look. "Smart."

She gave a light laugh and turned her attention back to her phone. Her heart sped up at the text, swooning as a huge smile grew on her face.

_**Hey, thinking of you right now.** _

Huffing a laugh, she quickly texted back:

**_Same here. Can't wait to see you again._ **

"What I tell ya," Lucy said, smirking as her friends tittered and hid their smiles. "Total love sick buffoon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay in this chapter. I was having exams and couldn't find the time to update between studying and surviving college. Here, a super extra fluffy addition before we get to the angsty parts (which I know you guys must be secretly waiting for wink wink).


	17. The Microbot Conundrum

Hiro had been busy building his newest idea, something about microbots that could be controlled with the mind. Normally, Ayako would steer clear of the brothers when they were inventing, but the thought of witnessing something so great being built right before her eyes was too much of a good opportunity to resist. Which was why she was currently standing at the edge of the lab, amused at the sight before her.

"Fifteen millimeters," Hiro retorted, folding his arms across his chest and leveling a glare at Tadashi. They had just finished a pizza party in the lab along with the rest of the gang and he wiped his greasy fingers discreetly on the hem of his hoodie.

"Fourteen, max," his brother replied, equally as defensive.

"Fifteen is perfect."

"Fourteen is better! It's small enough in size but not so small that it can't be seen."

"Why must you always tell me what to do?"

Tadashi gaped at him. " _You_  asked  _me_  for my opinion on this and  _I'm_  giving it."

Hiro's expression turned sheepish and he dropped his gaze. "Uh. Okay, I forgot."

He sighed and ruffled Hiro's even messier hair now that he had been down in the lab for almost a week, barely having any time for self-grooming. "You should get some sleep, bud. I think you're starting to forget my name."

Hiro snorted. "How can I forget your name when it's such a unique one? Ta-Douchey. Gosh, his parent's must've sensed his amazing legacy."

Ayako couldn't help the snort of laughter at his words and Tadashi resumed glaring at his brother.

"Ha. Ha. Funny."

"Hey, you brought this on yourself."

"Whatever."

Tadashi turned to look at her, noticing his girlfriend hanging back at the threshold. "Say, not heading home yet?"

She looked at the time and nearly balked. Eleven. Her mother was  _so_  going to kill her.

It was if Masaki could sense when she was being thought about as Ayako's phone rang, her mother's name flashing red on the screen. She shot him a grimace as she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Ayako Sorokin! Where are you?" Her mother's voice was shrill and she retracted the phone from her ear with a comical wince.

"In the cafe. I'll be home in a bit."

"Did the coffee there adopt you as its daughter? Ayako, this is the third time this week that you've been late and hadn't informed me!"

She cringed, catching Tadashi and Hiro's attention.

"Sorry, sorry," she chanted. "I'll be back home now. Sorry, mom. I love you. Please don't let the coffee take me."

Her mother harrumphed and set the phone down, the dial tone greeting her with a stark ringing.

The artist sighed and shook her head. "Great mom she is. I said 'I love you' and she put the phone down."

Tadashi tried not to look sympathetically at her but failed. She felt herself bristle at the attention, and snapped her phone shut, tossing it into her purse with acallous shove.

"Gotta go."

He stood up and walked over to her, grasping her shoulders.

"You okay?" The concern in his voice was so palpable that she felt self-conscious for receiving it.

Ayako plastered a smile on her face and rolled her eyes.

"Of course I am. Why shouldn't I be?"

Hiro was looking at her carefully, attention diverted away from his inventions. He looked like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure what.

She spared him the awkwardness. "So, I'll just leave you two geniuses to brainstorm without any distractions."

The teen nodded. "Okay. Sure. See you around."

Ayako bid goodbye to Tadashi and she could see that he had questions on the tip of his tongue and concern swimming in his eyes. She shook her head, telling him it was okay and waved before disappearing down the familiar corridor, heading out into the empty cafe.

It wasn't bothering her, she thought. Not even in the slightest.

~~O~~O~~

The day of the showcase arrived faster than she had expected.

Ayako had told her mother that she would be heading down there with a friend and her mom looked instantly worried.

"A guy?"

She nodded, hesitant. "Is something wrong?"

Her mother stared at her, probing, as if she could get the full story from her by just narrowing her eyes.

"Mom, I'll be fine. I'll be over at S.F.I.T-"

"That Technology Institute?"

"Yeah, for a friend's showcase. I'll be back soon."

Her mother sighed and waved her on, as if giving her a literal green light. Ayako resisted to give into her habit of eye twitching and grimace when she felt annoyed.

"All right. Just stay safe."

Ayako nodded and headed out the door, closing it on her mother's impassive expression.

She scrutinized her reflection in a neighbor's window. The young woman had on her favorite tank top and jeans, with her usual purse and sandals. The only difference today was her hair, pulled in a side plait that hung over her left shoulder.

The humming of a scooter's engine made her pull up short and look over the apartment railing. The moped flashed red in the brilliant late afternoon light and the figure below waved. A smile crept on her face as she took the stairs down two at a time, reaching down breathlessly.

Tadashi graced her with a smile. "Hey, you."

"Hey," she said, grinning.

"Ready to go?"

"Yup." He passed her a helmet and she carefully placed it over her head, wary not to mess her hair and hopped behind him.

"How's Hiro? Is he nervous?"

Tadashi shrugged. "Seems like he's fine although he didn't really talked much."

The setting sun lighted up his brown eyes a brilliant whisky color and she fought the urge to gape and stare. He was dressed impeccably well today, replacing his usual neutral colors with a black shirt and olive blazer. She steadied a grip on his shoulders when he put the scooter in gear and soon they were passing down the street.

"How's he going to transport the microbots?" She asked, leaning closer so he could hear.

"Aunt Cass' car. They're making a few trips back to the cafe for them."

"You're not helping?"

He turned back and spared her an easy grin. "Gotta place you down there first, before I head over and help them with the last few bins."

"Okay," she said, returning his gesture.

In front of them, the sun inched its way down the horizon, the last of the light kissing her face in a warm glow. The light touched the skyscrapers and buildings, bathing San Fransokyo a fiery orange and red, tainting the world in a last warm palette before disappearing for the day.

An apt omen for the showcase.

~~O~~O~~

He left her with the rest of the gang, Fred promising to take care of her as if she were a pet that needed constant watching.

Ayako had rolled her eyes and punched his arm, earning a yelp from Fred and laughter from Wasabi and Honey. GoGo merely looked on with her perfected stare of boredom but he could tell that she was amused too.

He headed back the familiar road home, finding blue bins arranged neatly in front of the cafe. The sign stated that the Lucky Cat Cafe was closed for tonight and he knew that Aunt Cass had closed the place tonight for Hiro even though Saturdays were one of their busiest days. She had claimed that it would take a huge gap appearing in the middle of the way that led to the depths of fiery hell to keep her from her youngest nephew's showcase.

Hiro had just shook with laughter and Tadashi tried to hide the grin at his aunt's words. She could be so poetically dramatic sometimes without her even realizing it.

"You're here quick," the voice of his aunt piped up from the garage as she made her way out at the sound of an engine. "Dropped Ayako there, already?"

He nodded, gesturing to the almost empty lab. After weeks of having the lab in a perpetual state of mess, the empty floor looked a little forlorn and bare. "Where's the bonehead?"

"Here," a grunt sounded.

Tadashi turned around and helped Hiro with the last of the bins, sharing the weight so that it would be easier to roll it out. Hiro huffed and leaned his weight on the blue bin, trying to catch his breath.

"Say, would it be easier if we just installed some hover rockets on this and launch them to the college?"

"And what, cause a mass explosion?" Tadashi inquired, quirking a brow. "Come on genius, tough it out or we're going to be late."

Aunt Cass squealed in excitement and before any of them could respond, she swept them up her usual hugs, squeezing both of their shoulders.

Tadashi and Hiro could do nothing but stand still, shock from their aunt's sudden contact.

She pulled away, sniffling. "I am so proud of the both of you, inventing things and trying to save the world." The cafe owner rubbed her nose and gave them a smile. "Your parents would be so incredibly proud of you if they could see you now."

Hiro looked awkward, as if he didn't know what to respond to that but Tadashi felt his heart clench at the reminder of them. He gave Aunt Cass a wane smile and nodded.

"I'll bet they would cause-" He paused to ruffle Hiro's hair. "- Genius here is finally using his big brain for something good."

The teen yelped and batted his brother's hand away, glowering at the smug young man. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Are we gonna get going or start breaking out into a sappy show song about our emotions?"

Aunt Cass huffed a laugh at his petulance.

"We're going dear, as soon as we get the last of these in the car. Tonight's going to be so amazing, I can already tell!"

~~O~~O~~

Ayako noticed a blue car coming into the gates of the college, followed by a familiar red scooter.

She tugged on Honey's sleeve.

"They're here," she said and the rest of the group turned to look at the sight. Aunt Cass parked the car and Tadashi did the same for his scooter.

All around them, people were bustling, voices rising in excited chatter. The various inventions lined strategically around the showcase hall, each of them as fascinating as the rest, from mechanical limbs to simple chemical concoctions.

But she didn't have long to look as Wasabi gestured to the family. "Come on, they look like they need some help."

She followed them down the steps and Aunt Cass greeted all of them when they came into sight.

Fred picked up the bin from the back of the car booth with a huff, setting it down on the road with a wince. He grinned at them all. "Come on, Hiro's name is first on the list – I checked – and he'll be on in a few moments."

The rest of the group turned to stare at the youngest member.

Hiro shrugged, playing it cool. Ayako could see him swallow in fear and run a hand through his messy hair.

"Okay. Let's get this show on the road."

~~O~~O~~

The first time he went on stage, Ayako had to fight the grimace that threatened to mar her features when the mike blared. Hiro was left standing awkwardly.

That all changed in a first few instances as Tadashi gestured for him to breathe and he did just that. Then, the microbots came to play.

It wowed the crowd and it stunned her too. The black mass of robots formed according to Hiro's will from the transmitter around his head. He wooed the crowd by his sheer creativity and she could see that it even attracted Alistair Krei, the man that had been responsible for donating a huge sum of money to her art college for a futuristic art exhibition a few years back.

Krei was looking at the microbots in interest, barely paying attention to Hiro.

Hiro's showcase was over and Tadashi gave a little whoop and raced off after him. She grinned at the expression on his face, feeling her heart swell with pride for the young inventor.

There was no doubt that Hiro would be accepted in the college, as evident by the acceptance letter Callaghan gave him and the brilliance of his invention. It was after a terse showdown with Krei, in which the professor accused him of using unethical scientific procedures, much to the chagrin of the other students. She thought that their teacher really did have some guts, for Krei was a powerful man with the money and science to back him up if he wanted something.

At first, she had written it off but changed her mind when Krei nearly walked off with one of Hiro's microbots, only to stopped by the older Hamada.

Tadashi glared at the businessman's back but resumed his look of joy when he gazed down at his brother.

"That was amazing, Hiro," Honey gushed. The rest of the team sounded their agreement.

"And really entertaining," Ayako added, "You really know how to wow them."

Hiro flushed slightly at her words and nodded. "Thanks guys."

They made their way out, excited chatter sounding from everyone at the same time.

Tadashi walked a little ways back with Hiro and she decided to give them some privacy, trying to strike up a conversation with Honey instead.

"What was that back there with Callaghan and Krei?"

Honey frowned and shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe it was-"

She was interrupted by Aunt Cass' announcement of free food over at the cafe and the group immediately turned their attention to the possibility of food.

"Oh man, yes!" Fred grinned.

Ayako chuckled at his enthusiasm and turned to comment on how Fred reminded her a lot of an excited puppy when she realized the two brothers were hanging back. The rest of the team stopped in their tracks, Fred giving Tadashi an expectant look.

"You guys go ahead first, we'll catch up," he replied to which Hiro nodded.

Aunt Cass shrugged and pulled the group forward. Ayako turned back one last time to see him shoot a reassuring grin and she returned the gesture, expression softened.

Tadashi turned his attention back to Hiro and they headed back towards the showcase hall's steps. The moment passed, she looked away to concentrate on the group.

"Hey, Aunt Cass, do you think we could have some of your famous lemonade?"

The cafe owner laughed, giddy at the turn of tonight's events. "For tonight, I'll make a whole vat of it."

"Great, giving Fred a sugar rush," Wasabi commented dryly.

Ayako laughed along with the group and she wondered if she would have to save a few cups for when they would return to the cafe later. She even mused that maybe she would get Hiro to spill on what he was planning to do now that he was going to be a college man.

Little did she know the drastic turn of events that would strike this unassuming little band of family and friends, setting off a whole catalyst of unexpected reactions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun. Any thoughts? Predictions?
> 
> Reviews fuel my soul and get me writing faster. Just saying.


	18. Blackout Curtains Down

Hiro followed his brother out of the showcase, head giddy with excitement as he remembered how he had done. The crowd had loved him, and the crinkling envelope in his jacket pocket was a testament to it.

He had followed Tadashi down to the bridge where they took a moment to admire the view of the lake twinkling with the lights from the showcase.

"So, I guess you're going to say that you're proud of me now that I'm using my big brain for the better good," Hiro teased, mimicking Tadashi down to the single raised eyebrow.

His brother snorted, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "No, I was going to tell you that your fly was down throughout the showcase."

"Oh, haha," Hiro replied sarcastically, but just for good measure...

Crap, his fly really was down!

He zipped it up and glared at his brother, to which Tadashi only gave him a grin. He smacked his brother on the arm and Tadashi laughed, deftly avoiding his strikes.

He was about to say something else, when a fire alarm sounded. The two brothers shared a look with one another before they ran towards the building. Smoke settled in his lungs and Hiro had to breath slowly to avoid the fumes. The hall before them was up in flames, and with a panicked notion, he remembered that his microbots were in there together with his transmitter.

But apparently, that wasn't the only problem.

Tadashi caught a passerby and asked if she was all right, asking her what had happened. She replied in a shaky voice that the hall caught on fire and everyone managed to escape except for Professor Callaghan.

Hiro felt his breath catch at the thought of the professor stuck in the inferno, and Tadashi had the same thought. His brother's eyes were wide with fear and yet he managed to hold his ground and said that he had to go in.

"Tadashi, no," he pleaded, holding onto his brother's arm.

He could see that Tadashi had already made his decision would not change his mind.

He pulled his arm out of Hiro's grasp and turned his body away, speaking urgently.

"Someone needs to help."

He took off before Hiro could pull him back and he could only watch in shock as his brother ran towards the raging inferno.

Out of the corner of his eye, another form raced past, cutting Tadashi off, throwing herself into his arms. He could hear his brother's grunt of pain from the impact and barely had time to make out the long, dark braid before the hall exploded, sending a blast of heat and debris strong enough to knock him off his feet.

~~O~~O~~

She followed Aunt Cass and the rest of the gang, trailing behind them as she heard Fred chatter excitedly about food.

"Can we have those amazing turkey sandwiches too?" the comic book enthusiast said.

Tadashi's aunt nodded, smile suppressed as Wasabi rolled his eyes.

"Relax Fred, she'll give you enough food to last the whole night."

"But I'm super hungry right now," Fred complained, tugging on his long sleeved shirt. "And besides, it's not every day that we get free-"

A loud, piercing fire alarm sounded and the whole gang turned towards the sound. She gasped at the sight of smoke rising from the building, thick and oily.

"Oh, no. The hall!" Honey shrieked. "Is anybody in there?"

Ayako didn't know how to answer that question, but she knew that there were two someones that might be right there.

An awful sinking feeling capsized her heart into her stomach and she knew, without a doubt, that something bad was going to happen.

Her heart thrummed wildly in her chest, and without another word, she ran towards the flaming building, ignoring the yells from the rest of her friends.

The ground was uneven and the every jarring step hurt her feet but she pushed on, only thinking of one person.

One person whom she had no doubt would try to see if he could help.

Her eyes flashed with fear and her breath caught in her throat as she saw a figure running towards the flames. There was no mistaking the olive green blazer and cap that flew from his head.

" _No!_ " she screamed. " _Tadashi-_ "

Without thinking, she pumped her legs harder, the muscles straining and starting to seize up. Her scream made him stop and look at her. Ayako wasted no time, slamming her body into his, catching him off balance and causing him to falter.

Time froze and the flames flickered to a stop, as if someone had pressed a 'pause' button to them. Ayako's eyes met Tadashi's which were wide with fear. He opened his mouth to speak, hands gripping her shoulders-

The building exploded, causing a wave of heat to rush over her, tearing a scream from her throat. The force from the explosion pushed the both of them back, throwing them into the air. The ground rushed to greet her with a jarring break and she found herself face first in the grass, the earthy scent cut off from the putrid smoke that wafted up. A body pressed into hers, arms wrapped around her and all she could do was feel the force of the explosion tearing past, shaking her bones.

Silence rang, loud and clear and she felt the force pinning her down lessen. She registered that Tadashi had shielded her from the brunt of the explosion, as evident from his destroyed blazer.

Gasping, she sat up, gaze locking with his.

Ashes fell from the sky like snowflakes and landed on his shoulders, collected in his hair. Her hands were shaking, reaching out to hold him, cupping his cheek, making sure that he was still there. Still alive.

" _Are you okay?_ " She felt more than heard him ask.

She nodded, unsure if she would even speak. It was a long moment before they stood up, Tadashi lending her a hand.

Tadashi looked around with wild eyes before relaxing, a single name escaping his lips like a sigh of relief.

" _Hiro._ "

She let him run over to his brother and help him up, leaving them both to their own privacy. Ayako took a shaky breath and turned her gaze to the incinerated building. The building that Tadashi had nearly ran into.

The smell of burnt metal permeated her senses and her eyes watered, stinging.

Her legs wobbled but she forced herself up, taking one step back.

_One, get away from the flames._

_Two, get away from the heat beating on her face._

_Three-_

She felt strong arms wrap around her shoulders and another pair wrapped around her waist. Ayako looked to find Tadashi staring at the building with the same grim expression mirrored on her face. Hiro had pulled her into his half embrace, the other hand wrapped around his older brother.

They stood in silence, observing the flames, grasping to each other with support.

A shriek, like the breaking of glass sounded in her ears.

She looked behind to find Aunt Cass running towards her nephews and made to give her way, but the older woman just pulled her back into the group hug. She buried her face first into the crook of her older nephew's neck then pressing a cheek to Hiro's hair.

For her, she wrapped her arms around in a choking hug, tears leaking down her cheeks.

"Thank you," she whispered into her ear, voice hoarse and cracking, "thank you, thank you."

Ayako didn't know what to reply so she just nodded silently.

"Are you any of you hurt?" she asked the three of them. They shook their heads in response.

"Oh, thank God," she said and Ayako saw some color returning to her cheeks as she tightened her hold around them.

The rest of the gang hovered around them, looking worried but not wanting to barge in. She caught Fred's eye, the boy wearing a worried look. He gestured towards Tadashi and she shook her head, still in Aunt Cass' embrace, movement limited. She didn't know what else to say.

Two paramedics appeared, breaking up the circle and sitting them down, asking them questions. Their voices rang disjointed, as if she were hearing them through a tunnel. She recalled Masaki telling her that when the brain went into shock, it couldn't comprehend things normally.

So. She was entering into shock.

Hiro clung close to his brother who would have to receive medical attention for some minor burns on his back. Feeling guilty, she realized that she was the reason for his injuries as Tadashi had shielded her body with his.

The medics took him away, much to the panic in her heart. They had to pry her hands from his arms and she wouldn't let go, too afraid. She was afraid that something would happen to him. What if he died on the way to the hospital? The thought was irrational, but after what had happened tonight, all logic eluded her.

Tadashi had to grip her hand in his, gentle, brown eyes wide and sincere.

"'Yako, I'll be fine."

She glanced at the female paramedic who nodded and Ayako exhaled, reluctantly releasing him to the care of the medics.

Hiro felt the same fear, dark eyes trained on the limping form of his brother who disappeared into the ambulance. The siren emitted loud wails and flashing red lights, pulling away from the area.

The paramedics made quick work on the scab on her knee, cleaning up the blood. Placing a bandage, they told her she was clear to go and pressed a warm cup of tea between her limp fingers. They did the same for Hiro for the abrasions on his elbow and left the both of them alone.

He sat beside her on the ground while the press swarm by. The police and paramedics kept them at bay, Ayako overhearing them say that the two of them were still in shock and needed to be left alone.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Hiro staring at her with wide, brown eyes.

"T-Thanks for saving Tadashi," he said quietly. "He wouldn't have been alive now if it weren't for you."

"It's all right," she whispered back. "It's a good thing I got there in time."

Their brief conversation ended as Aunt Cass came to pick them up, resting a hand protectively on Hiro's back. The older woman braved a smile, something that would've broke on her face had she tried to mimic it.

Ayako's face felt frozen, stuck in that grim expression and she knew it would take more than a limpid cup of tea to stop her gut from twisting.

"Come on, let's get you kids back home," she said, directing them to the car.

"Tadashi," she whispered and Aunt Cass turned to look at her.

"You said something sweetie?" she asked, tone gentle.

"Tadashi," she repeated again more forcefully. "What's going to happen to him?"

Aunt Cass' eyes shifted to the ambulance and she huffed a breath. "They're still treating him for minor burns and abrasions. The head paramedic said that he would have to be taken to the hospital for further treatment.

"But it's nothing that bad," she added hastily, seeing the look of horror growing on the girl's face. "He'll be right as rain soon."

Oh. He was going to be all right. Her shoulders relaxed trying to keep herself from falling apart and having a panic attack right there and then.

Aunt Cass seemed to have noticed her turmoil as she wrapped an arm around her shivering shoulders, squeezing them.

Somehow, that gesture seemed to have calmed Ayako and she breathed, telling herself that everything would be fine.

~~O~~O~~

The rest of the gang headed their own way home, Honey in her parent's car, GoGo on her bike and Fred car-pooling with Wasabi. She left with Hiro and Aunt Cass, not trusting herself to take a taxi when her hands were shaking so bad.

The car ride was quiet, punctuated only by the squeak of the tires and the gentle blink blink of the car's indicators whenever Aunt Cass changed lanes.

"So, sweetie, what's your address?" Aunt Cass asked, pulling her out of her reverie.

"A short way from the cafe," she murmured, clearing her throat. "You could just drop me on the street and I'll walk back, no worries."

Cass chanced a look at her and she could see a look of worry on the older woman's face.

"Are you sure?" she asked, concerned.

Ayako nodded. "I'm sure. I'll be fine."

Hiro leaned forward to give her a no nonsense look. "Take care, all right? The streets might be dangerous."

"What he said," Aunt Cass agreed.

She spared a smile for the younger boy and nodded, conveying her gratitude at his thoughtfulness of her safety. "I will. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

The car slowed to a stop and Aunt Cass reversed park, unlocking the doors a moment later. The three of them stepped out and Ayako felt the familiar sensation of pins and needles running down her leg.

A pause. She decided to leave them here, just in case they needed time to process what had nearly happened tonight.

"I'll be going now," she said, gesturing to the pavement. "Thank you for the lift, Miss Hamada."

Aunt Cass smiled and shook her head. "It was no big deal, Ayako."

She glanced at Hiro next, who fidgeted for a moment with his hoodie. Ayako leaned down to his level and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You take care too, all right?" she said, dark blue eyes wide and probing.

Hiro nodded, wordless.

She bit her lip and wondered if she should mention... ah, darn it, she would want to know anyway.

"And please," Ayako stated, looking at both Aunt Cass and Hiro. "Call me when there's any news on Tadashi, okay?"

Both of them nodded and she gave them one last smile before heading down the street, back to her apartment a few blocks away from here.

The wind blew, biting her shoulders with an unmistakable cold chill. Ayako wished she hadn't worn her favorite tank top today and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep warm.

The streets seemed much more empty today, as if everybody were stuck at home reeling from the news of the fire. At least, that's what she thought they were doing.

That's what she would be doing anyway.

She walked up the steps to her apartment and unlocked the door, stepping in the blessed warmth.

"Ayako."

She stifled a sigh and steeled herself as she pushed the door open, coming face to face with her mother.

"Hey, mom," she muttered listlessly. "What are you doing up so late?"

Her mother tightened her grip on her favorite blue bathing robe and Ayako could see that her knuckles were stark white.

"I heard you were at the showcase when the fire happened."

Her mother's face was a mixture of emotion; anger, sadness, worried. Her lips were pale and drawn, as if all color had leached from her.

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'm fine-"

"Is that a bandage on your knee?" Masaki asked, horrified.

Ayako looked down. She realized that the denim had torn, revealing the bandage and felt disgruntled. Those was her favorite pair of jeans.

"Um, it was when I tripped and fell," she blurted, unwilling to share the real story with her mother. The memory of Tadashi running head on to the fire still flashed behind her eyes and she didn't want to linger on that for too long. "While running."

At least the running part was true. But not the fact that she ran away.

Her mother looked distressed and she tried to calm her down before she would start nagging up a storm. "Mom, I truly am fine," she emphasized. "I just need to sleep."

Seeing her mother open her mouth to argue, Ayako let out a sigh of frustration, earning a hard look from her mother.

"Fine," Masaki said in a defeated tone. "But I want to let me know first thing tomorrow what happened, okay?"

"Deal," Ayako replied warily. "Night, mom."

She didn't reply and Ayako shrugged it off, trudging towards her room on tired, sore feet.

The young woman got ready at a slow pace, reaching her bed when the clock neared midnight. She rested her head on the pillow and looked out into the inky darkness, punctuated by lights from the street lamps that touched her window. It was like looking into an abyss, or a huge beast's mouth.

The thoughts swirled around in her mind, leaving imprints behind her eyelids. Her body ached, but she pushed the pain away, giving in to the weariness that permeated her being, attempting to drift off.

No matter how she twisted or turned, she could still feel the heat on her face, smell the ashes. Her mind replayed Tadashi's near death to the point of exhaustion.

Eventually, she fell into a restless sleep, the montage of Tadashi running, cap falling off his head the last thing that flickered into her mind before sleep welcomed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, he's alive. I just couldn't bear to hurt my poor babies anymore than they should for the sake of this story.
> 
> Also, I wanted to open a discussion as to what actress you guys envision Ayako as. It can be anyone that fits her in your mind. Do let me know because I was planning on placing it as a fancast for obvious reasons. If you're curious, she sort of reminds me of Kaya Scodelario (more specifically the character she played in The Maze Runner, Teresa) because of the dark blue eyes and the resting nice face :)


	19. Heartfelt Confessions

She was awoken by the shrill ring of her hand phone, instead of the usual sunlight streaming from the shades.

Ayako groaned as she got out of bed, still half asleep when she reached the desk where the device sat vibrating against the wood and making her eardrums throb.

"Hello?" she muttered, rubbing a hand over her tired eyes, still partially open and squinting in the barely lit room.

"Ayako." It was Aunt Cass.

"Hey, Miss Hamada," she said, mind sharpening and throwing off the last vestiges of sleep as her heart rate picked up. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm so sorry to disturb you this early but I just wanted to let you know that Tadashi's treatment was successful and the doctor's said that he would be able to make a swift recovery." There was no mistaking the bright ray of hope in the woman's voice and Ayako felt her heart lift at the news.

"That's great," she enthused. "When are you going to see him?"

"This afternoon," she replied before asking, "will you come along too?"

"Sure," Ayako replied without hesitation. "Thank you for telling me the news."

She bid Aunt Cass goodbye and settled back down on her bed, too hyped up to fall back asleep.

 _Tadashi's okay, Tadashi's_ _okay,_ her mind sang.

The young woman reclined on the soft surface, feeling the relief that was absent a night ago wash over her in potent waves.

~~O~~O~~

The hospital was brightly lit, the sanitizing smell of bleach wafted up her nostrils and caused her to wince. Ayako never liked hospitals and would normally try to avoid visiting them if she could.

Hiro walked beside her, a few feet back from his aunt as she navigated them around the busy doctors and the distracted nurses. She passed by a room, seeing an old man lying back on his bed, tubes running all over his frail body. A priest was standing over his prone form, reciting a phrase from the Bible as he anointed the patient's forehead, the family looking on solemnly.

She shuddered and hoped that Hiro hadn't seen the same thing. Ayako didn't want the young boy to feel uneasy but he was a tough one. Just like his brother.

They reached Tadashi's room and were just in time to see Honey, Fred, Wasabi and GoGo walking out of the room, each one of them giving various form of greetings to the three of them.

"How is he?" Aunt Cass asked, nervously twisting her hands.

Wasabi grimaced. "He seems fine but the marks prove otherwise. Why don't you go and see for yourself?"

Aunt Cass nodded and beckoned towards Hiro. The young teen looked at her expectantly as if waiting for her to follow. Ayako shook her head, gesturing towards the room.

"You guys go ahead first, you're his family after all and I don't want to crowd in."

Hiro looked ready to reply but Aunt Cass nodded, respecting her decision and pulled Hiro in before he had a chance to start arguing.

The door shut behind them and Ayako took a deep breath as she went to sit on the row of plastic chairs right next to Honey.

"You not going in?" Fred asked as the rest of the gang looked at her in open curiosity.

She shook her head. "They're family. Family always goes first and besides, I don't want to intrude."

Her answer made them fall quiet, like they didn't know what else to say. For a moment, she was tempted to walk off the butterflies in her belly by heading to the cafeteria but something kept her rooted to the seat. She wanted to see him the moment Aunt Cass and Hiro walked out.

Her eyes wandered towards the plastic clock on the wall, counting the minutes as she waited with bated breath.

A few minutes passed by with her entertaining the notion of what to say to him when they meet.

Would it be appropriate to start apologizing? Or would it better if she started smacking him there and then?

No, no violence. She might just be blacklisted by the hospital for that.

But she was angry, thinking of how he had ran towards the burning hall. What was he thinking? Maybe he wasn't. Heck, she wasn't think when she ran towards him to try and stop Tadashi from throwing himself body first into the fire.

The door opening pulled her out of her reverie and she could plainly see the relief on Aunt Cass' face and the relaxed look on Hiro's. Maybe he was physically improving in great leaps and bounds. Cool, she could start smacking him first.

His aunt spared her a small smile before indicating to the door and telling her that she could have her turn.

Ayako stood up, feeling her heart thrumming a mile a minute in her chest. Would he be angry at her? Or thank her for stopping his near suicide?

There was only one way to find out.

She stepped around his family and pushed open the door. She kept her eyes on the floor until she felt the door click shut before looking up at him.

Tadashi was staring at her expectantly, faint smile pulling his lips. Except for the tub of ointment beside his bed – for regeneration of burnt cells, no less – he looked perfectly all right, as if he wouldn't belong in the hospital. She scrutinized him, finding his skin glowing healthily and he looked well rested, nothing like how she had pictured him to be.

The image was such a jarring juxtaposition to her that she found herself unable to speak, eyes glued on him.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me the whole day?" he teased. "Although I wouldn't mind that."

She shook her head as if to clear the haze in her head and walked towards him with small steps. Ayako sat on the edge of his bed, hands to her sides. She felt him reach out and twine his fingers with hers, giving them a soft squeeze. His touch was warm and she knew he could feel how cold her skin was.

"Hey," he said. "Say something, don't just leave me hanging."

His words snapped something within her and she gave him a glare.

"What were you  _thinking?_ " she all but spat out. "Running towards the building like that?"

His eyes fell to the bed, as if he couldn't meet her gaze. She surprised herself and him by lifting his chin back to face her, gaze hard.

He caught her other hand with his, and she could see the plea for understanding shining behind his eyes.

"I heard that Callaghan was in there and I had to save him," Tadashi started softly, tracing small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. Somehow, the action relaxed her and she could feel her glare melting off. He seemed to take that as a good sign and met her gaze again.

"I don't know what overcame me but he was my mentor and... I couldn't just leave him in there like that."

His voice was soft, expression somber as if flashing back to yesterday.

"You could've died." She found that her voice was barely a whisper. "You...y-you c-could've-"

Everything inside broke all at once. Her heart at that morose thought, her lungs when she released a pained cry, her eyes that watered up with tears of anguish. The fear and shock all came crashing down on her, the explosion ringing in her ears like the echo of Death's call, the facade she placed on yesterday to protect her mom cracking and breaking, revealing her bleeding face.

" _You could've died_  and left your brother alone, your aunt sad, your friends wondering how they could've saved you and... and-"

Tears leaked, running down her cheeks and a loud gasp tore from her throat which she tried to stifle with her palms clasped tight on her mouth. She turned away, not wanting him to see her lose composure so easily, shoulders shaking and body trembling as she tried to contain her sobs.

"A-And I-I... _I_ -"

He didn't let her finish, pulling her into his embrace. Her sobs were muffled by his shirt, tears leaking into the fabric and leaving a wet stain. Tadashi didn't mind, shushing her and allowing her to cry, running his fingers through her hair in an attempt to sooth her distress.

"D-Didn't you even stopped t-to think?" Ayako choked out. " _How_  could you do that?"

"I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry," he whispered, anguished at the agonizing sobs shaking her tiny frame. They stayed that way for a little while, Ayako's broken sniffles tugging at his heartstrings. She quietened after a moment, the only sound being their slow breathing and an occasional hiccup from her. He nuzzled her hair, inhaling her now familiar scent of almonds and vanilla, forcing a lump down his throat when he remembered how close he was to losing her, too.

"Are you okay?" He murmured, eyes travelling down her body to search for any injuries. He had noticed her limping when she entered and he figured it had to do with a cut or an injured muscle from her fall.

She nodded, avoiding his gaze, wiping the moisture from her cheeks with the back of her hand. His expression softened and he rubbed the tears away, thumb running soothing circles on her cheek.

"Thank you, by the way," she said in a thick voice, mustering a smile. "For saving me."

He ran a shaky hand through his hair, the anguish and regret hitting him like a wall when he saw her lower lip tremble.

"Listen, 'Yako, I'm sorry, okay? But someone had to help and-"

She froze and pulled back, glare frozen on her face. Their eyes met and he could see hers were red rimmed, nose runny and sniffling. Tadashi felt sick to the bone. He can't believe he had made her cry, couldn't believe that he had actually meant to put his life on the line and hurt her even more with his inevitable death.

"I know, and I'm proud of you for thinking that but y-you were only one man against a whole building on  _fire,_ " she stated. The young woman had to remember that this was Tadashi she was talking about; he would always help innocents no matter what. She figured that that must've been the reason why she was so attracted to him in the first place.

"It wouldn't have been a fair fight."

Her words hit him hard and he groaned, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry. I really am."

She grasped his hands with the both of hers. "Forgiven," she said with a thin smile, "so long as you don't give me a reason to body slam into you again."

He chuckled once, the heavy atmosphere broken. Tadashi lifted his head and caught her eyes, reaching out to cup her face in his larger palm. She was so tiny, his whole hand enveloping her cheek, tips of his fingers barely brushing her temple; scarred skin a contrast against her smooth one. Ayako placed her hand on his, kissing the inside of his palm, tearing up again from the rawness of their emotion, the vulnerability they both possessed after airing out their feelings.

"Thank you," he said simply. "If it weren't for you..."

He trailed off but she knew what he was about to say.

"What did the doctors say?" Ayako asked, changing the subject.

He glanced past her shoulder and she followed his gaze, landing on the tub of ointment.

"They said that I had minor burn marks on my back-" She bit her tongue so as not to start her torrent of guilt at the fact that he had suffered that to protect her from the worse of the flames.

"-But it won't be nothing that they could fix," he finished, smiling reassuringly. She missed that smile and didn't know how long she would have to wait to see it.

"That's great," the artist agreed. "I'm glad to hear that you're doing well."

"Me too," Tadashi joked.

She bit her inside of her cheek to stop from laughing, trying to keep herself composed. Her heart was still trembling from the onslaught of wild emotions, but the smile felt good on her face. She had seriously underestimated his ability to cheer her up with nothing but his well-placed jokes.

"Hey," she said and pulled her hands out of his hold, nudging his shoulder. "I never got to thank you for protecting me too."

"You're very welcome," he stated. "It was the most that I could do since you helped me too."

She felt her lips quirk up into a smile at his endearing response. A notion to lean in closer overcame her and she resisted, thinking she would just be crowding up his space.

Tadashi's expression turned sad for a moment. "Is there any news of Professor Callaghan?" The undercurrent hope in his voice made her hesitate for a moment, wondering if she should just feign ignorance or tell him that the news had reported him presumed dead.

"Tadashi," she said with a compassionate squeeze of his hand, sadness darkening her eyes. "I'm sorry, but he's dead. The news reported that they couldn't find his body – not even any bone fragments in the aftermath – but they're working on it."

He hung his head, as if the impact of the news was too much to bear. He took a deep successive breaths of air in an attempt to regain composure.

Ayako felt bad for him and wondered how special the professor must've been to the young man to gain such a response to his death.

"Didn't your friends tell you?" Ayako asked, wondering why he hadn't asked his friends this.

"They didn't know the real reason why I ran in," he replied, "all of them think that I was heading back in there to save Hiro's work."

Ayako nodded in understanding, wondering what she could say to dispel the tension around them. It seemed as if a thousand and one things were happening at the same time and she wasn't sure if she could comprehend it all at once.

Tadashi seemed to have sensed her distress as he gave her a small smile and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about me, okay? Just take care of yourself."

"Don't worry about you?" She spared him an eye-roll and shook her head. "Fat chance that will stop until I'm sure you're all right."

"Aw, you do care," he teased, and she could feel a small blush creep on her cheeks.

Ayako huffed, crossing her arms. "Of course, doofus. Somebody's gotta keep an eye on you when your hero complex kicks in."

He snorted at her words. "'Hero complex'?"

"Yup," she replied, unapologetic although a smile appeared on her lips. He smirked and shook his head although she could see his eyes drooping in exhaustion.

"Hey, maybe you should get some rest," Ayako suggested softly.

"Yeah, sleep does sound great."

Ayako stood up and he gave her hand one last squeeze before letting it go. "I'll come back soon, okay? Get well."

A thought appeared in her mind and she gave a mischievous smile. Before Tadashi could react, she leaned in and gave him a gentle peck on his forehead, letting her lips linger there. He smelled faintly of sweat, green tea with a hint of musk, forehead scrunched under her kiss.

She drew back and smirked at the flustered expression on his face, pleased that she could elicit that response from him.

"I really hope you get well soon," Ayako said, giving him a genuine smile.

Tadashi recovered, scratching his head as he tentatively returned her smile. "Okay. Take care." Did she really reduce Tadashi to speaking three words from her sudden kiss?

She spared him one last look before closing the door on his happy expression, returning once more to the world where they weren't stuck in their own private bubble.

"Someone's blushing," Fred commented with a knowing smirk. "What happened in there?"

Hiro made a face. "Hey, guys, underage fourteen year old here. Just a reminder."

Ayako scoffed and ruffled his already messy hair. "Don't worry, nothing of that sort happened," she said in a low voice so as not to be overheard by Aunt Cass. But judging from the woman's hidden smirks, she seemed to be thinking along the same lines as her nephew.

"Oh, thank goodness," Hiro replied amicably, visibly relieved.

She stifled a laugh and rolled her eyes at the teen.

~~O~~O~~

A newspaper slammed into her vision, startling her from her sketching.

Ayako looked up to find Lucy gaping at her, motioning to the front headline.

"What's this?" She asked, voice shrill with surprise and concern. "Why does it mention that three people nearly got hurt? Why does it say your name here listed as a  _survivor?_ "

Ayako grimaced, setting her pencil down. She gestured to the cool stone bench, inviting her friend to sit. They were in the middle of the Antoinne Le Nain garden, a popular place for students to relax and continue with their course work, undisturbed as the garden was relatively silent, the only sound being the gentle  _splash-splash_  of water from the jug shaped fountain. Ayako had intentionally stayed here for the whole day, seeking silence and solace instead of lingering questions from her course mates who might have heard the news.

Even her professors had given her weary looks and she had smiled, indicating she was okay and there wasn't a need to disrupt the class by asking her how she was.

Lucy did, turning to face her the moment she was seated.

"What happened?" She demanded, "and don't give me that 'nothing happened, mom' crap that you do so well. I'm not your mother and I know something's up. I want the truth. And stop avoiding people - Mike was worried that he had made you mad because of his comments on your tank top collection and he had only just found out you were part of the fire during lunch." Lucy took a deep breath, finished with her little tirade.

She ran a hand through her wavy hair sheepishly, staring anywhere but at the glare frozen on the red head's face.

"Well?" Lucy prompted.

Ayako caved, sighing in defeat. "It was after the showcase. A fire started and Tadashi was there, with his brother. They were trying to run in after Professor Callaghan – well, Tadashi anyway – and I stopped him before he could disappear inside and explode into little, itty-bitty pieces."

Silence befell the two friends, Lucy opening her mouth and closing it, no sound escaping.

"W-What?" She croaked. "Tell me you're joking."

"I'm not," Ayako replied simply, shaking her head. She still saw the flames behind her eyes when she drifted off to sleep; joking was the last thing she wanted to do.

Lucy huffed a breath, staring at the headline once more. On the front page, a picture of the burnt down hall was shown, ashy black and ruined, along with a memorial photo of Callaghan. She had never met Tadashi's professor before but she could see that he was a kindly looking older man and didn't deserve his fate.

"The hell is up with your life now?" Lucy asked, shaking her head.

Ayako replied with a shrug.

"You tell me."

~~O~~O~~

Masaki's silence when she came home was not something unusual, the mother and daughter duo used to not saying a thing for the whole day unless it was to wish each other 'goodnight'. Her stiff upper lip and flashing dark eyes, however, were indicators that she was anxious and Ayako looked up from the newspaper she had been studying, frowning.

"Is everything all right?"

Her mother pursed her lips. "Today I've had more than ten people come over to ask how you were. I didn't know that you were a survivor of the fire."

Ayako froze at that. It was one thing for her friend to find out and chastise her. Lucy, she could handle, the red head needing a few reassurances and she would be in the clear. But her mother...Masaki wouldn't let this go without a fight.

She closed the newspaper and folded it in half, buying some time.

"Well?"

Time's up.

"It's true," she whispered.

Masaki's fist came slamming down on the table and she looked up to find her mother glaring, gaze as dark as a shifting abyss. She could feel the radiating simmer of anger and disappointment laced with agonizing revelation steaming from her mother. Ayako wrung her wrists; she didn't know what else to say to assuage her mother's justified anger.

"And you didn't tell me, again!" Masaki shook her head, continuing, "Ayako, it's things like this that you need to tell me and it's on a need to know basis. When I ask you for something, share it with me! Don't leave me in the dark, I deserve a right to know."

Ayako furrowed her brow, hot anger and indignation lighting her bones. "And then what? What would you do, mom? You wouldn't even ask why I ran so much as how did I survive."

A muscle ticked in her mom's jaw. "All right. How? Why? Why did you do something as reckless as that?"

She didn't hesitate when she said, "to save Tadashi."

Masaki frowned, looking suitably thrown off. "Tadashi?" Realization dawned on her as she breathed, "your boyfriend."

Ayako flushed, knowledge that she was dating someone a shock to her mother. The young woman had wanted to ease her mother into this, tell her this nugget of information only when Tadashi and her had been going steady. Her mother wasn't the only person thrown off by the sudden reveal.

"What was he doing in that fire?"

"Trying to save his teacher."

"Callaghan? That professor who perished?"

"The very same."

Masaki narrowed her eyes, and pursed her lips, the same thin ones that her daughter had inherited. "I hate it when you put yourself in danger."

Ayako scrubbed a hand down her face.

"I know. I'm sorry. But I couldn't just let him die."

"And how do you think I would feel if you did?"

Ayako flinched at that, not having thought of her mother when she pulled that little stunt. All she could think of was that she needed to stop him before it was too late; before the flames stole his life and yanked the breath out of his charred body.

She shuddered and she could feel Masaki's glare softening.

Mother and daughter shared a glance, one as deep as an embrace and as tender as a kind smile.

And somehow, that was enough for her.


	20. Chapter 20

Tadashi was discharged from the hospital a few days later when the doctors decided that his injuries were completely healed. He had grumbled and said that Baymax would be able to diagnose him faster, but all that earned him was a glare from Aunt Cass and an eye roll from her.

"You are such a complainer," Ayako stated, helping him carry some of the fruit baskets that he had received from his college well-wishers.

Tadashi stuck out his tongue at her, moving slowly down the steps. "Am not."

"Oh, really?" she said and started mimicking his deep voice, "'Ugh, slow doctors. I feel better already, just let me go. If Baymax were here-'"

"Okay, okay, I get it," he muttered, much to her amusement. Aunt Cass stifled a laugh at their antics as she held her nephew by his arm, supporting him.

"Auntie, I'm fine," Tadashi said although the older woman didn't relent.

"Just holding you up, sweetie."

Tadashi despaired and Ayako could see that he was not used to being smothered this way by anybody. She knew the young man was always playing the part of another's caretaker – be it his brother or in some way, caring for his aunt – that it made him awkward to receive care from others. Her heart swelled in symphaty at that thought.

"Where is Hiro, anyway?" he inquired, changing the subject.

Aunt Cass beamed as they reached the car, her whole face lighting up in pride. "He's already enrolled in college. Today's the orientation day."

Instead of being proud like his aunt, Tadashi gaped at her in surprise. "What?" He exclaimed, "and I missed it?"

His aunt placed a hand on his arm as if to calm him down. "Don't worry, Tadashi," she said, "the rest of your friends were there for him. He won't be alone, trust me."

Tadashi wanted to argue but Ayako spared him a look that said, 'don't worry, trust your aunt.' He nodded and got into the car, ready to head back home.

Ayako got in the back seat and for a moment, she wondered how different her life would turn out if she hadn't met him. If today were any ordinary Tuesday, she would be sitting in her room drawing, wondering when she could live the life like her music. Her life used to be punk rock with the screeching bass as representation for her boring disposition. But now... her life seemed to be like a freaking anime soundtrack.

She followed them back to the cafe, helping Aunt Cass with the luggage and extra gifts, accompanying Tadashi as he headed up his room.

Setting the gifts down, she stretched, loosening her aching muscles. She really needed to work out more.

"Hey, thanks for helping out my aunt," Tadashi said, sitting on the edge of his bed, offering her a small smile.

She returned the gesture, leaning against the banister. "You're welcome. Besides, Aunt Cass seemed pretty busy with the cafe and she looked like she needed some help."

Tadashi nodded. "Either way, I am grateful." He then patted the space next to him, beckoning her over, smiling shyly.

Butterflies erupted in her belly and she wondered if she should approach him now after what happened a few days ago. The kiss... their first semi romantic gesture after that amazing one they shared in his lab all those days ago. It felt like forever because of the fire, like it happened in a different place, different time and to different people.

Her flight instinct seemed to kick in and she desperately wished he didn't see the flush spreading on her cheeks.

But she sucked it up and headed towards the bed, sitting next to him.

They were silent for a moment, relishing in the other's presence.

"Did I make you miss class today?" he asked, voice a gentle rumble and oh-so-soothing to her frayed nerves.

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "I skipped it on my own accord."

Tadashi gave her an affronted look and she rolled her eyes, giggling slightly. "Calm down, worrywart, they were just reviewing some art techniques. I'll be fine and can catch up anytime."

He hummed, narrowing his eyes. "Okay. Whatever you say."

Tadashi gestured to the area around them, the messy room lighting up in the morning sunlight.

"Hey, looks like we have a free day then," he said and a slow grin spread across his face. She felt her lips mimick his and for a moment, she was sure they looked like a pair of dorks goofily smiling at each other.

"Why, seems so," she remarked casually. He gestured to the TV in the corner, eyes twinkling.

"Remember when I said I've never watched Lord of The Rings before?"

"I recall," Ayako replied with a smirk, "and I also called you outdated for it."

Tadashi grinned and stood up, holding out his hand for her. She took it, the familiar jolt of his skin against hers felt pleasant, his hand warm as usual.

"And that's why I want to get re-dated again."

"Shall I start you slow with the prequel or would you like to skip to the first movie?" she asked, following him to the small television area, wary not to step on the brothers various video game covers spread across the floor.

Tadashi hummed in thought as he cleared up the space on the couch and placed the items on the table before them. "I guess the prequel sounds great."

"All right then champ," she said casually as she helped him choose from the holographic file labelled 'movies'.

She found the prequel and clicked on it, a screen coming to hover in front of them. Ayako looked to find Tadashi already seated comfortably on the couch, watching her do all the work.

He met her narrowed gaze with a shrug. "I have to remain resting," he added with a smirk, "doctors orders."

She rolled her eyes but joined him on the couch, pushing his stretched legs away and taking a seat beside him. He surprised her by wrapping his arms around her, pressed close against his chest, much to her surprise and heated face.

The movie started and she soon found she could barely concentrate from the feeling of his arms around her and the thrumming of his heart just beside her left ear, picking up now that she was closer. Tadashi seemed content and she tried to relax, getting herself in the movie and ignoring the way how his body heat seemed to seep into her skin.

"How long would this be?"

"T-Two hours long, each movie," she muttered, finally relaxing her stiff muscles and melting into his arms.

Tadashi seemed to recognize her shock and didn't pursue any other contact besides his arms around her. He sighed, breath ruffling the top of her hair and reclined deeper on the couch.

"Great. Plenty of time then," he commented.

And for the first time ever since she met him, she couldn't decipher what he meant. It unnerved her but she let herself push her inhibitions back, leaning her head back on his chest, his heart a constant thrumming under her ear and the morning sun warming her face, two arms like safety blankets wrapped around her torso.

The movie played out and she sighed, at ease.

~~O~~O~~

He had tried to keep his sadness at bay when he found out about the fate of his professor – or should he say, late professor. Tadashi didn't want his aunt to start worrying and Ayako to think that he wasn't grateful towards her for saving him.

The young man really did commend her bravery and not a moment went by when he wasn't thankful for her quick thinking.

But Callaghan was more than a professor to him. The elder man was like a mentor and in some ways, a father.

He remembered the first time he entered the annual the showcase to gain acceptance to the college and he was standing by the side of the stage, nervously wringing his arms.

The professor had approached him and told him with a kind smile that his turn would be soon and Tadashi had to force himself to breathe to stop the panic attack that was threatening to overcome him.

Callaghan then introduced himself and placed a hand on his shoulder, telling him that he could already see the potential in Tadashi and would love to see him in future as he had heard a lot of things about the teen from his old high school.

His kind words calmed him down long enough to get through his presentation of new technology for rocket boosters. He remembered looking over Aunt Cass and Hiro, finding the professor giving him an encouraging smile.

Safe to say, if it wasn't for Callaghan's words, he would have probably panicked and messed up his presentation.

Tadashi somberly stood up from his bed, Ayako having left their house hours ago after their movie. He was already starting to miss her.

But his mind could only concentrate on one thing at a time, his thoughts still hung up on his professor. The young man would've taken his moped and raced towards the college to ask his friends what they knew if it wasn't for the dull ache spreading on the skin of his back.

And so he fell on the bed with a restless sigh, wondering what could've befallen his professor that he didn't get out of the hall in time. His mind couldn't come up with the right solution and so he decided to design a few ideas floating in his thoughts, anything to keep the memory of that night away and plaguing him with more questions than he could answer.

~~O~~O~~

Hiro arrived back home just before lunch time and Tadashi immediately wrapped his arms around his brother, a smile of pure pride radiating off his face.

His brother groaned but hugged him back and Tadashi knew that he would be rolling his eyes behind his back.

"How was college today?" Tadashi asked, pulling back with a wide grin.

"Great," Hiro enthused. "I can't wait to start working in the lab. It's so cool."

Tadashi nodded at Hiro's enthusiam. "Yeah, the labs are pretty cool," he said. "But only if you earn enough credit will they let you in."

Hiro snorted. "Ha, no big deal."

He smirked at his brother's overconfidence, noting that he wouldn't be wrong when he said that he could rack up enough credits to own his personal lab before the year was over.

Tadashi knew that his brother could do it. Hiro had always been much more talented than him and he would have no doubt Hiro would beat his time log of eighteen months with something far shorter.

"Hey, why's the TV area so neat?" Hiro asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Tadashi shrugged. "Cleaned it up because Ayako and I watched a movie."

"She came into our room?" Hiro asked, slightly disconcerted at the thought of a girl entering their room. Looking around at the mess of clothes on the floor, plans scattered all over any available table surface and the smell of burnt metal from the soldering he had done for a robot's circuits this morning.

"Yeah," Tadashi replied nonchalantly. "I couldn't head down to the basement cause the doctors told me not to move too much so we had the movie here."

A guilty look stole across his face as he said, "you're not mad right?"

Hiro recovered and shot his brother a knowing smirk. "Why would I? She's your girlfriend, anyway."

Tadashi flushed but hid it behind an eye roll, deciding not to tell his brother the truth, already envisioning the advantage Hiro would have if he truly knew. "No, she's not."

"Really?" Hiro asked innocently as he removed his hoodie and threw it on his bed. "And why not?"

He cleared his throat, leveling his brother an impassive look. "None of your business, bro."

"It is if you're bringing girls in our room," Hiro countered.

"Girl, there is no 's' in that statement," Tadashi clarified.

"Oh, that makes me feel so much in the loop."

"It's nothing, okay?"

Hiro lifted his shoulders in response, as if nonchalantly disagreeing with his brother, setting out his timetable for tomorrow's classes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the 20th chapter, all done and later than I expected. Sorry about that, I was having exams and didn't have much time to write.


	21. In Loving Memory

Ayako frowned at his text message, beeping from her phone the moment she came home.

'Please come to the cafe. Need you.'

She glanced at the kitchen clock, noting that it was barely the afternoon and she would have time to sneak in later when her mother came back; backpedaling, she slipped out of the house once again, closing the door and walking briskly down the stairs.

The way to the cafe was so familiar now that she could do this while sleepwalking, passing by the busy streets and afternoon traffic, subdued green building of Tadashi's home rising up in the front. She crossed the street and ambled over to the cafe, the place moderately patroned since it was already the afternoon and most people would be returning back to work or, in a student's case, heading home after completing their assignments.

She passed by a lot of people who had headphones in their ears, bent over a book or papers, some of them spending time by clicking on their various devices.

Spotting Cass behind the register, she made her way over there.

"Hi, 'Yako," she said, grinning brightly as a way to greet her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she replied, returning the smile. Ever since Tadashi's accident, Cass had considerably warmed up to her (not that their relationship was strained in any way before), transforming from a more formal ' _hi, have you seen Tadashi around?_ ' to ' _how was your day? Would you like a doughnut? It's on the house'_  type of way.

"Tadashi messaged me this afternoon and asked me to come by. Have you seen him?"

Cass' face fell and she nodded tersely, gesturing to the lab door. "Take care, he's been acting a little bit...out of it ever since the..."

The older woman trailed off, but Ayako didn't need her complete words to understand what she meant.

Mutely, she nodded in agreement. "Thanks."

Without another word, she swiveled around and headed to the lab door, walking down the dim corridor and emerging into the Hamada's garage slash work place.

Tadashi was pacing in the middle, looking deep in thought. His home clothes were crinkled, and even from this distance, she could see that he hadn't shaved, skin on his jawline dark and scraggly. Ayako knew that the college had given Tadashi a few days off, reasoning that he was in no way fit to return to school after such a shock. He looked up when she entered, expression barely rippling.

"'Yako." She frowned at the way how he said her name, deadened and hollow like cold bland oatmeal on a rainy morning.

"'Dashi, what's wrong?" Ayako made her way over to him and watched as he took a step back. Confused, she followed him, only to be kept at an arms length away.

Tadashi made a sort of strangled sound at the back of his throat. "Please, I just called you here because I-I needed your calm a-and now, I'm rethinking it, I'm-"

His attitude was really starting to freak her out and she swallowed a lump of apprehension seizing her throat.

"Tadashi, I can't understand, what-"

He took a deep, steady breath, stabilizing himself. "I just wanted you here. Please." He extended his hand towards the sofa, suddenly forlorn. "If you would."

She didn't understand his motives but ran along with it, heading over to the sofa and sitting down. Tadashi followed suit and, to her utter surprise, dropped his head into his hands, digging the heels of his palm to his eyes.

Ayako didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him, drawing him against her chest as she stroked his hair, stiff and stuck to his scalp with grease.

His shoulders were shaking with suppressed shudders and he didn't seem to mind her comfort.

"It's my fault," he breathed.

"Hmm?"

Tadashi pulled back from her warm embrace, leveling her with a morose look. "It's all my fault. Callaghan's dead because of me."

Sudden compassion filled her chest like a flash flood as she took in his state; lower lip quivering slightly, eyes downcast, eyebrows knitted together in depressed confusion.

"It's not," she replied, shaking her head. "It's not your fault-"

"But it is!" He insisted angrily, the hundred and eighty degree shift in his demeanor leaving her confused. "It's all my fault and I have to live with that." Tadashi's voice was steadily increasing with each word spewing out. "It's my fault that he's  _dead._ "

The realization struck her hard like a bolt of lightning.

Survivor's guilt.

"'Dashi, it not your fault, okay?" She said, and when he didn't look at her, she resorted to lift his face up gently with her fingers, eyes contrasting and hard as steel. "Accidents happen and what happened with Callaghan-"

"I could've saved him!" Tadashi exclaimed, breaking her grip and stare with one bat of his hand. He was pushing her away now, emotionally spacing a distance between them. "I could've saved him if I had ran in there!"

Despite knowing that he was in a fragile state, she couldn't help sucking in a sharp gasp, thrown off by his words.

"'Dashi, if you did go in there...there wouldn't be any you here today."

When he didn't reply and merely turn his face away, she decided to bring in the big guns.

"If you had ran in there, we would be having memorials for the  _both of you_. We would be up there, sitting through a funeral, watching you being buried.  _Hiro_  would be alone. Your friends would wonder what they could've done to save you. I would be alone."

She didn't mean for her voice to break, numbed by the intense emotions coursing through her. "Death doesn't happen to you, 'Dashi. Well of course it does, you die - but that's not my point. It happens to everyone around you. Everyone would be left wondering how they could've changed it. And it was never your fault. Ever."

Tadashi turned back to face her, tears threatening to spill. "I miss him," he whispered in a quaking voice. "College just isn't the same, I-I...I always expect him to come and teach classes like normal a-and he doesn't, and-"

His voice petered out and she wrapped her arms around him again, solidifying the truth that she would always be there for him, no matter what. His head was a firm weight on her chest, his arms holding onto her as if she was the only lifeline during a brutal storm.

"Ssh, it's okay, it's okay." Tears were flooding her eyes too and she kept them at bay, concentrating on her boyfriend's well being.

Tadashi sniffed a few times and her heart went out to him. She knew what it was like losing a mentor and a father figure, still feeling the sting of her father's previous estrangement.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," he said, sounding like a wounded puppy. "I didn't mean it. Not that I wasn't grateful, but-"

"It's okay," she said simply, burying her face in his dark locks, rubbing soothing circles on his back as his grip tightened around her waist. "It's okay."

~~O~~O~~

She messaged him with a vague text a few days after his breakdown.

'Meet you in the Tech Institute at nine.'

He was already back home, mind halfway reading one of his assigned coursework program handbooks while the other kept steady watch on Hiro as he completed his Physics homework. Reading it, he felt a frown tug on his lips. He felt apprehensive at returning back to S.F.I.T when it wasn't class time. Tadashi had been getting increasingly good at avoiding the front door of the still destroyed showcase hall, his eyes having been trained to skim over it so that the hurt wouldn't have a chance to manifest in his chest, residual guilt still swimming in his soul.

He sighed and picked up his fallen blazer, dusting the material before calling out a "heading back to the Institute," to Hiro. His younger brother merely nodded and went back to his work, brainstorming over his work.

"Why? Left your work in the lab again?"

"Actually, 'Yako wants to meet up."

This caught the teen's attention. He looked up. "Really? Why?"

Tadashi shrugged, heading for the stairs. "Beats me. Tell Aunt Cass I'm at the Institute if she asks."

"Okay, and Tadashi?"

He stopped when he heard the hesitance in his little brother's tone. Hiro gave him a probing look, twirling a pencil between calloused fingers. "Are you okay, I mean, what with everything that happened."

They hadn't explicitly talked about the fire, the both of them preferring to close up and not talk about it. Guess they were starting now.

"I don't know," Tadashi said in all honesty. "I really don't know."

"Just...just know that I'm here for you, okay? You're not alone." Hiro struggled with the words and Tadashi knew that it must have taken the young teen courage to spill that out. Both the Hamada brothers were not good with articulating emotions unless it was absolutely necessary.

Sparing his little brother a soft smile, he nodded. "Thanks, bro."

"Now go, I don't want you to miss your date," he teased.

Tadashi chuckled and shrugged on his blazer. "Whatever, little bro."

He went down to the garage where he kept the scooter and sped off, using a route he knew so well that he could easily trace it on a piece of blank paper.

Evening had come and gone, leaving the sky a dark inky black. Mystified, he wondered what his girlfriend could've wanted that she had asked him to meet her at this time.

Tadashi parked the scooter in front of the university, the security guard barely even looking up from the newspaper he had been reading, waving him through with a lazy flick of his hand. Sometimes, he wondered why they even needed security when the guards just let anybody in.

He met her in the car park, Ayako wearing a black tank top, this time with a dark wash denim jeans. In her hands, she held a bouquet of flowers and in the other, some candles.

Frowning at the items, he asked, "what's this for?"

"Callaghan," she replied simply, missing the shock rippling on his features.

"Nuh uh, I'm not returning back there."

Ayako sighed. "I knew you would say that. Which is why I'm here to make you an offer."

"An...An offer?" He asked, stupefied.

"Yes, an offer," she said, and turned around, walking towards the direction of the hall. He sped up his strides to keep up with her.

To say he was confused was an understatement. "'Yako, why-"

She stopped a few meters shy away from the ashen building, near the steps where he could see similar mementos of condolences laid out; flowers of every kind, some of them wilted a dry brown, candles that were burned to their ends.

"For closure," she said and gazed at him in compassion. "I know you don't want to face this, but it will help."

He opened his mouth to retort but she cut him off before he could continue.

"I'll be the one doing all the placing and arranging, you don't have to do anything. That is, if you want to join me."

"But you don't even know Callaghan," he argued.

She shrugged. "True, but that doesn't mean I can't give him the respect he deserves as an amazing teacher."

Her words were starting to take an effect on him, shaking his resolution.

She turned back around, bracing one knee on the ground as she laid the bouquet on the steps, placing the candle next to it. The other one was in her pocket, for Tadashi should he ever agree.

Her hands were fumbling with the lighter, the flame flickering in the breeze. The fire wouldn't catch even after the second attempt and she refrained from exhaling out a curse. She didn't want to put her hand too close to the flames, breath hitching as the tiny light flickered, reminding her of the time when the same flames were surrounding S.F.I.T's showcase hall.

Steady hands took the lighter from her fumbling ones and she turned to find Tadashi kneeling beside her, cupping his palm around the flame as he brought it to the candle's wick. The fire caught and he wordlessly handed the candle back to her. She placed it on the stone steps, glad that the cool wax didn't slip out of her grasp.

He sighed. "Okay, maybe you're right."

She suppressed a triumphant smirk and handed him the last candle. He lighted it up and placed it beside hers, twin flames flickering in the gathered darkness.

The light from the candles illuminated their faces and she chanced a glance at him, noticing that Tadashi had fallen quiet, gaze stuck on the picture of Callaghan.

His professor had the sort of look you would expect from a mentor; kind, fatherly, the type to nurture and build someone's confidence up.

She reached over and grasped his hand, squeezing lightly, ignoring the strain in her knee as she gazed at the picture too, hushed into silence by the somber atmosphere.

"Thank you," he whispered, voice rough and catching. She gazed at him with a small smile, one that he returned, the flames casting shadows over his chiseled features, the piercing brown eyes.

"You're welcome," she said simply and they fell silent once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope I managed to capture the PTSD properly although it would only be starting. And I am so, so sorry for the late reply. My exams are not exactly over, but I couldn't stay away from this story. 
> 
> Leave a review! They warm me up like cookies and milk :)


	22. Closure

_**All the King's horses, and all the King's man, couldn't put me back together again...** _

_**-All The King's Horses; Karmina** _

* * *

After the events of the fire, life returned back to what it once was, although the semblance of normalcy was tainted by something unfathomable.

She returned to her college work, tossing aside ideas with Lucy and Mike on how to best present her finals project for the scholarship. Her friends didn't ask anymore about the accident and she didn't willingly volunteer any other information. Ayako and Tadashi moved on as best as they could, maintaining their relationship before the fire and picking up the pieces wherever they went.

The nightmares wouldn't stop, and night after night, she would awake from the ashes suffocating her throat, the smell of burnt flesh pervading her nostrils. She didn't have to ask to know that her boyfriend was going through the same thing, judging by the dark circles that swelled under his eyes.

They didn't talk about it, both not knowing where to start, but being there if the other needed them.

Tadashi told her that he would flinch whenever the sight of a flame came by in his vision, and she in turn divulged quietly to him about alternative scenarios she would dream most nights. She wished that he could be here, could hold her while she slept and she felt the yearning in his actions whenever they met and he would hug her extra tight, not willing to let go.

She wished they would just heal.

Throughout this quiet moments of reprieve, she would think of Russia; the land she had never visited in all of her life and yet was explicitly tied to by the connection of her father.

At the thought of her father, she would experience a roller coaster of emotions. On one hand, she wanted desperately to meet him again, to get answers as to why he walked away, why he left them out of the blue. And yet, when she thought it through, without the anger clouding her judgement, she wondered why did she even bother. He left them, and letting Mikhail back into her life was a recipe for opening herself to pain.

Her mother and her had never spoken about that night when her father left the voice message, each not knowing how to approach the subject with each other.

Ayako knew her mother wanted to say something from the stiffening of her shoulders and the soft sighs that she would emit when she lost her nerve. In a way, Masaki and her were similar in that aspect: the both of them did not know how to articulate their feelings well, and more often than not, it would detriment their already strained relationship.

She couldn't remember what caused the wedge between her mother and her, but she remembered the effects well.

Masaki was a wreck when her father left, unable to sleep, barely able to function. Ayako had to take care of her, pulling her out of bed, preparing her breakfast, fighting back the tears when her mother wouldn't touch her food. Sometimes, when she opened the floodgates of memories, she could recall her mother's soft sniffling in the middle of the night, punctuated by the same tears her daughter was shedding.

Her mother never came to check on her, and as a young teenager, she could remember the feeling of abandonment. Masaki wasn't the only one suffering from her husband's leaving.

Ayako shuddered when she remembered all the nights she tried calling her father's phone, hoping that he would pick up, but getting that same infuriating message all over again:

"Sorry, the number that you have dialed is unavailable. Please try again later."

Her mother eventually snapped out of her daze of sadness and pushed herself back into her work, straining herself harder since now she had to be both breadwinner and caretaker to her family of one.

They barely spoke to each other, Masaki having trouble opening up and Ayako waiting for her to acknowledge and disclose what had actually happened the night her father left.

But Masaki never did.

She went along with life as if nothing happened, sweeping away her father's belongings. Sweeping away his existence.

She remembered the fallout with her mother when she tried to give away her father's old records that he didn't manage to take back with him, flying into a rage when she came back from school and saw the labelled boxes stacked on the floor like a mass of repressed emotions, neat and clear in their intent.

Warning: Fragile.

"You can't do this!" She had screamed at her mother, and Masaki eyed her back with unconcealed anger.

"He left us, Ayako! Why do you want to keep something that reminds you of him."

The young girl had broken down into tears, something that shocked her mother as Ayako hadn't cried in front of her since she turned six.

"B-B-Because that's the only thing I have left of him."

Masaki let her keep the records, but things just got worse. Her mother was like a robot, only asking her how she was when she was late, ignoring her for her work, concentrating more on paying up the house than in the only occupant in it with a shattered heart.

Ayako retaliated by ignoring her mother, and soon, that translated into their every day normal routine, so embedded in their systems that it was hard to move past it.

Part of her wish that they could talk to each other about what happened. The other part was unsure if opening up past wounds was the wisest idea.

The door to the house opened, startling her from her reverie.

Masaki walked in, looking weary and tired.

"Hey, mom."

The older woman stiffened, back straight with surprise. She recovered from the unprecedented greeting of her daughter and nodded.

"Hey, Ayako." Without saying more, she headed into her room and arrived moments later wearing her home clothes. Rolling up the sleeves of her shirt, Ayako was struck at how thin her mother looked, the pale skin highlighting the fine hair and wrinkled hands.

"I'll help with dinner tonight," she decided, standing up and walking into the kitchen. Masaki fixed her with a confused look.

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I want to."

Her mother gave her an appraising look and shrugged, bending forward and opening the fridge to get some vegetables out. Ayako had a sudden wish that she were any ordinary girl and could openly tell her mother about her day; how she had discovered Mike's secret crush on their local Starbucks' barista, how Lucy taught her the art of pairing certain eye shadows with lipstick. How she had a boyfriend and wanted advice on reassuring him that the death of his professor wasn't his fault.

All this and more burned in the back of her throat and Ayako swallowed down the lump of apprehension.

But most of all, she wanted to open up on the night her father left, why her mother let him go and what happened. For all she knew, they were a normal family till the moment her father decided to up and leave them both, disappearing into the night like a shadow never to be seen in broad daylight again.

She wanted to know what conspired between her parents and she needed to know if any of those were her fault.

Ayako felt the distant yearning for the truth, and the need to escape. Right now, Russia was like a lifeline to her from all the craziness that has been ensuing in the past month. She needed a way to escape or she would go mad with restless agitation.

"Mom, I need to ask you something."

"Hmm?"

Ayako took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"What happened the night dad left?"

The air around seemed to take on a stiffening quality, and she didn't have to turn around to find her mother's back taut with tension, thrown off by her sudden curiosity.

Masaki recovered, clearing her throat. In her periphery vision, she could see her mother drizzle some oil into the pan, buying time to reply.

"The less you know the better," was her brisk answer.

Ayako whirled around, gripping the edge of the dining table, fixing her mother with a desperate gaze. "But I want to know! I want to know what has been going on for the past few years that has...done this to us. I need to know."

Masaki pursed her lips, shaking her head. "I don't know, Ayako. Your father is a complicated man who only knows how to take care of himself. I can't speak for him."

"Is this why you don't want me to go down to Russia?"

The motions of cooking stop as Masaki pondered her words. Her mother sighed and switched off the stove, turning around to face her and offer her undivided attention.

"No," Masaki said, and was it her or did her mother look even weary now that she had to deal with this?

"I just want you here because it's safe and Russia's so far away. I don't think your father could take care of you-"

"But is it also because you don't like him?" Ayako persisted.

"Ayako Sorokin, what I feel for your father has no influence in this decision!" Masaki retorted, folding her arms. "I couldn't care less what our marriage has been reduced to, but you are the only thing I have left and I can't let him hurt you again," she stressed.

Ayako froze at that. "W-What do you mean again?"

"I mean that I don't want him to break your heart." Her mother rubbed her face, reminding her of explicitly of Tadashi for some reason whenever he was exasperated. "Don't you think I didn't hear all those nights when you were calling up your father? I don't want you to experience that again and get your hopes up."

"I won't, mom," she argued. "I need to go and see him. I want to know why he left us and-"

"As if he would tell you," Masaki said bitterly. "He didn't even tell me, so what makes you think he'll open up to you?"

"Because he's my father and he owes me an explanation for all those years!" Unbidden, tears sprung in her eyes and she steeled herself, not wanting to lose herself that easy.

Masaki sighed. "Oh, Ayako." She then did something that the young woman did not expect. She moved forward and caught her in an embrace.

Ayako returned the hug back, no hesitation, not now when she  _finally_  had her mother's attention.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Masaki murmured, stroking her hair. She squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled, expelling the air out of her body along with her dreams of reuniting with her father once again.

"Okay," she whispered, defeated. "Okay."

The same memory flashed in her mind again, of plastic words and glistening tape wrapping up the last existence of her father, ready to destroy his living memory.

Warning: Fragile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, I had to include this chapter because I was inspired by a guest's review who wondered what actually happened between Ayako and her mom. I know this doesn't contribute much to the current plot, but it will be explained in the second story which should be up once Our Sutures is done. Don't worry, we haven't reached the climax yet as I have something surprising up my sleeve ;)
> 
> Also, sorry for the late update, my exams just finished and I was busy looking into future universities.
> 
> Btw, please please please read this chapter while listening to Karmina's 'All The King's Horses' because it perfectly describes Ayako's mindset. Plus, I've fallen in love with this song when watching Reign and it's been stuck in my head since.
> 
> Reviews are like ice lemon tea, I adore it :)


	23. Shadows Attack

Darkness fell outside, bringing with it the calm and serenity of another peaceful night in San Fransokyo. From his perch on the window sill of his lab, Tadashi could hear the humming of cars on the road, the sounds mingling with the honks and loud thrumming of engines zooming past. He could also make out the gentle flow of the man-made river outside of Ito Ishioka's labs, mechanical gears mimicking the natural flow of water.

He sighed as he looked up from his work, the empty space where Baymax was kept taunting him with its loneliness. After the fire, he had decided to place Baymax back in the garage, knowing that he was in no mood to fine-tune the robot now that it was done. It was also partially because the robot reminded him too much of time spent with his late professor, where he would visit Callaghan's office and ask for advice whenever the older man was available.

Tadashi glanceed over at the various schematics littering across his table, phone lighting up with another text message.

He managed to muster a smile when he saw that it was from her. He picked it up and dialled her number, suddenly yearning to hear her voice.

"Hello?"

"'Yako, hey," he said, not meaning to sound relieved when she answered.

"'Dashi," she greeted warmly. "How are you? Are you at home?"

"No, I'm out at the lab. I...I didn't feel like leaving."

Tadashi didn't know how she did it, but she always managed to figure out when he was hurting.

"Are you okay?" The concern was palpable in her tone. "Wanna talk about it?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, gazing out at the night sky through the tempered glass. "I'm fine, it's just...I wish you were here," he said. "The stars are actually out tonight and they reminded me of you."

She chuckled. "If you wanted to call me up and serenade me with mushy love words, you could've just come over, Hamada." When she teased him that way, he could almost belief that everything was as it is; that nothing had happened to change his perception of life and that they could be what they once were.

But things  _had_  changed. He felt older. Wearier. Like the world was somehow this frayed piece of gray cloth instead of the pure white linen he was accustomed to.

"I don't think I have the guts to go back now," he uttered quietly.

"Why?" She said, equally as soft. He could hear rustling in the background and wondered what was she had been doing before his call.

"I honestly don't know." He shrugged, though she couldn't see. "Maybe because I'm still not over the fact that I had nearly thrown my life away, y'know?"

Ayako took a deep breath. "Tadashi, what's done is done. You shouldn't feel bad. Things happen for a reason and I don't know about you, but I'm pretty glad that my body-crashing abilities were that strong to stop you. God knows what I would be feeling if you were gone."

He cleared his throat, wincing at the soreness he felt there. Great, now he had a sore throat on top of his muddled mind.

"Everything feels so...different," he murmured, squeezing his eyes shut and envisioning her face. He could see her adorable nose scrunched with empathy, dark blue eyes downcast like rain-darkened skies to fit his mood.

"Hey, it will get better," she said softly. "You're strong and I know you can get through this."

Her words tugged at his heart and a half smile lifted on his face. Adoration flooded his heart and he silently thanked whatever deity that showed her into his life, for he was surely starting to rethink how he had managed to trudge along without her to brighten up the dark cracks.

"I...Thank you," Tadashi said, catching his slip. With horror, he realized that he had nearly said those three little words. Those words that could change the course of their relationship and which he wasn't sure how she would react to. He had never said those words to a girl before that he meant in all seriousness, of course. To say he was nervous would be a huge understatement.

"Listen, 'Yako," he started, feeling the words catch in his throat. "I want to tell you that I-"

From the background he could hear Ayako's mother calling for her and she cursed. He heard her call out a, "coming!" and a heavy sigh left her lips. "Sorry," Ayako said, sounding apologetic. "I have to go, mom needs help with the housework. What were you gonna tell me?"

Tadashi deflated, having lost his nerve and the opportunity. "Um, nothing, really," he kept his voice light. "Go ahead, I have to clean up anyway. Goodnight."

"Oh, okay. Goodnight," she said, and made a kissy sound through the phone. "Sleep tight."

"I will now you did that," he teased and he could hear her laugh before ending the call, the silencd ensuing louder than thunder. The words lodged in his throat like sticky rice, hard for him to swallow now that they were at the forefront.

He put the phone down, sighing. "Great job, Hamada," he grumbled. Getting up, he swept the room with a penetrating gaze, wondering if he left anything behind. Tadashi picked up his satchel and straightened his cap, switching off the lights and letting the door swing shut. He was on the way to the elevators when a thought hit him.

Tadashi had left his robotics homework, something about decoding binary fusions together and realized he needed it for Baymax's upgrades. The catch: It was in Callaghan's office.

He weighed his options, knowing that the office would be close in the morning as the school locked up the late professor's space when he died in the fire, leaving his things untouched and waiting for a relative to pick them up. As far as he knew, Callaghan only had his daughter, Abigail, who tragically died in a car accident last year. Tadashi remembered the stormy look on his professor's face when he entered the office and caught Callaghan swearing lowly, files and papers scattered on the floor after an obvious fit of rage.

The young man recalled that he hadn't said a word, merely picking up his professor's things and placing them on the table. Callaghan did not mention that day ever since and Tadashi knew not to breath a word to anyone. After all, he knew how hard it was moving on after the death of a loved one. He may have been young when his parents died, softening the blow but p Callaghan was a father - a loving one at that - and had all the memories of Abigail. His heart truly went out for his professor.

He decided to go ahead with his plans after sparing a glance at his watch. The time read ten o'clock and he knew his aunt and brother would probably be asleep. His aunt maybe. Hiro? He wasn't too sure about that, grimacing at the idea of having to pull his brother out from another bot fight. Hiro may have put his big brain to good use, but the kid still had an affinity for bot-fighting and Tadashi sincerely hoped he didn't pick tonight to get embroiled in more trouble. God knows he needed some sleep tonight.

Tadashi turned around and retraced his steps down the hallway to Callaghan's office. The late professor had wanted an office in the robotics department, reasoning that he could be nearer to his students if they needed any help. He entered the key code he knew by heart, the doors to Callaghan's office opening with a loud whoosh.

He entered the space, musky from being closed off. Moonlight shone in intervening bars from the closed shutters, lending the place an eerie feel.

Tadashi cautiously moved towards the large desk dominating the room, taking in the light coating of dust on the surface, the crinkled calendar, a huge monitor and piles of paper. Callaghan was meticulous in his care for cleanliness that it put even Wasabi to shame.

He leafed through the pile, searching for his work and finding it. Mouthing a soft sound of triumph, he made to pick his paper. Luck wasn't on his side when the papers shifted, and before he could stop them, went fluttering to the floor. Tadashi winced and quickly bent down to pick them up. He shifted through them all, growing agitated with his carelessness.

Nearly missing that piece of paper, he stopped when he realized that the schematics he was seeing was all too entirely familiar. Brown eyes scanned the rough sketching, analyzing the concepts written in hasty scribbling, apprehension pooling in his chest. It was a schematic for some type of portal, that much he could tell. Although, he wondered how such technology even existed.

Tadashi remembered looking over his professor's shoulders once when Callaghan didn't notice him entering the room. He was busy pouring over the schematics, unaware of his presence.

_"Professor? What is that?" Tadashi was genially curious. He could see that his professor had given some thought to the scheme, margin writing scribbled all over, and he caught the words 'inter-dimensional' a few times._

_Callaghan had hastily hid the plans when he saw that he wasn't alone, giving his favorite student an uncharacteristic glare._

_"None of your business, Mr. Hamada," he bit out, alarming the young man. Callaghan was always patient, a little firm, but he would never talk to any of his students like that._

_Silence fell between both men and Callaghan sighed. "Sorry, Tadashi," he said, attempting a small smile. It looked like a grimace instead. "I'm just reviewing something from my old work place. It's nothing. Anything I can do to help you?"_

The schematics were the same as what he was seeing now and Tadashi frowned when he pondered on what his professor could want with this.

He stood up to put back the paper when he felt a presence behind him. Tadashi stiffened, swiveling around to search, eyes narrowing in the darkness.

 _Stupid,_  he chastised. He should have switched on the lights instead of groping around blindly in the dark. He carefully placed the papers back on the desk, backing away from the area.

A rustling sounded from his side and he turned to seek out the sound, breath catching in his throat.

Nothing.

The corner was empty.

Heart thudding a mile a minute, he felt the adrenaline shoot up his spine and ignite warning bells in his brain. Steadying his hands, he prepared himself to strike should the need to arise, fight instinct surfacing. Years of karate kept his breathing light in the face of danger, arms flexing in anticipation of a strike.

Another rustle sounded behind him and Tadashi whirled around, hands up and crossed in front of his body for defense.

Nothing, again.

He was starting to feel the fear, churning in his insides like acid. Tadashi backed away, intending to head to the door. He took a step back and hit into something solid.

Turning around, he barely had time to react when a blunt force collided into the side of his head, knocking him backwards. He flailed and stumbled, vision becoming blurry and unfocused.

Hitting the floor with a hard thump, he barely made out the edge of a black trench-coat shining in what little moonlight illuminated the room, before the pulsing pain in his head took over, dragging him under the blanket of unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet ya'll weren't expecting that. Or did. Anyway, review and tell me how you like this new spin because a major ton of plot development will now be commencing. Oh, and since my exams are over, I'll be able to update regularly now, yay!


	24. Missing Persons Report

Hiro frowned when he saw that his brother still wasn't home yet. He knew for a fact that his brother hadn't mentioned pulling an all-nighter Tadashi had no other plans for tonight. He tried Tadashi's number, but that went into voicemail. Again.

He called the rest of the nerd squad next. Their responses were varied from GoGo's blunt "no," to Fred's express of concern over the fact that Tadashi still hadn't returned him his favorite X-Men comic. But none of them knew where he was. The younger Hamada had tried his brother's girlfriend next, and Ayako said that the last time she spoke to him, Tadashi had said that he was about to head home from the lab.

Hiro nervously fiddled with his fingers as he looked around the messy room. Noting the silence downstairs, he deduced that Aunt Cass had made dinner for them and left it in the kitchen after he had told her he would be waiting for Tadashi so that they could have their dinner together. He had felt bad for his aunt at having to eat dinner alone, but the added advantage was that she wouldn't catch him sneaking out.

He headed upstairs to the rooftop garden where he deftly ambled down the piping, careful not to make a sound. The streets were dark and from his vantage point on the road, he could see the light from Aunt Cass' room was illuminated, reminding him that he would be worrying his aunt.

Steeling himself, he walked down the road, knowing deep in his gut that something was wrong.

He dialled Ayako's number again, just to keep company while he wandered down the semi-empty streets. She picked up after a few rings.

"Hello?"

"Hiro here. Did he tell you where he was heading?"

"Sorry, no," she said and he could hear the palpable concern. "Hiro, is everything okay? Maybe he got caught up in work."

"He wouldn't," the teen argued back, speeding up his pace when he saw a group of boys his age loitering around an alleyway. He kept his head down and they didn't pay him a second glance. "When he says that he'll be back at a certain time, he will be. Tadashi always keeps his promise."

Rustling sounded, and he could hear muffled sounds of what seemed like a drama behind. She lowered the volume. "Where are you now? I could come and meet you."

"N-no, it's okay," he interjected hastily. "It's late and-"

"I could help," Ayako countered. "Where are you? We could split up and find him."

"I'm on the way to S.F.I.T right now. You sure you can meet me?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone and he could hear the faint pulse of a heartbeat. She had muffled the phone on her chest where he couldn't overhear. She came back on, breathing a, "sorry, had to explain to my mom that I was meeting up with a friend for some lecture work."

"Okay. I'm already at the gates of the tech institute. How fast can you come by?"

Ayako hummed. "Gimme five. I'll be there in a flash."

~~O~~O~~

True to her word, Ayako arrived in time, looking out of breath.

"Are you okay?" Hiro asked, noticing her winded pants.

"F-fine. Had to run after the late night tram." Straightening, she smoothed the front of her tank top, grimacing. "Come on, he could be in trouble."

"What makes you think that?" He had no problem keeping up with her shorter steps and fell into pace beside her. They passed the guard who didn't look up once, engrossed in a crossword puzzle he was trying to solve.

"Honestly, why have security guards when you're just gonna let anybody in?"

Hiro stayed silent, unsure how to answer her question. His mind was only focused on one thing.

"What was he talking about when he called you? You made it seem like he was thinking deeply about something."

Ayako took a breath and recounted her story. "He was just mentioning Callaghan. Something about guilt and how things have changed." Remorse flooded Hiro's heart at the thought of his brother's silent suffering. He dared not ask how Tadashi had been feeling after the explosion, not sure how to bring up the death of his professor and his near death experience.

The young teen knew his brother was trying his best to move on, and true to their nature, the Hamada brothers rarely opened up about anything that was causing them pain, preferring to bury it deep where the other couldn't see and feel guilty.

"I didn't dare ask anymore when he told me he was fine," Hiro muttered, dismayed.

"Hey, we all deal in different ways," she reassured. "Now let's go see where that big nerd went to. I would be righteously pissed if he fell asleep in the toilets."

Hiro snorted. "Now I can see why he's so attracted to you. He always did have a thing for spunky girls."

Ayako side-eyed him and he raised his arms in surrender, the both of them entering Ito Ishioka's applied sciences building. The lobby was quiet and no one was to be seen. The lights were dimmed and the only sound were their echoing footsteps on the floor.

They took the elevator to the third floor, where Tadashi's personal lab was located. Tension seeped in through the cracks, and whatever light-hearted conversation they had before melted away, silence ensuing.

Hiro made a sound of distress when he saw that his brother's lab door wasn't properly shut, the alarm disengaged and the green light flashing softly. Ayako spared him a look and went over, pushing the door open. Nothing was out of place here, and everything looked normal.

Ayako let out a breath and shook her head. "Looks like he just left."

"Yeah."

"Maybe he's in the toilets? You wanna check there?"

Hiro nodded and led the way, walking down the corridor towards the men's toilets that would be located past the stretch of labs and staff rooms.

They passed by Callaghan's office when Ayako stopped him. "Look," she said, pointing. "The door's opened."

A burnished metallic plaque that read 'Dr. Robert Callaghan, Dean of Applied Science Department' shone in the soft light from the overhead LEDs.

"That's funny," he murmured. "Callaghan's office has been closed off ever since the accident."

Ayako jerked her head towards the door and Hiro nodded, going in after her.

She stopped in her tracks, and he opened his mouth to ask why when he caught sight of what she was staring at. Tadashi's cap sat forlornly on the floor, where scattered pieces of paper surrounded it, sticking out like a bloodstain on a white dress.

Hiro picked up the cap, pressing it to his chest. He now knew that the buzzing apprehension in his chest was real and naked fear coursed through his veins.

"He's gone," the teen breathed. Looking at the shell-shocked woman beside him, he uttered the words again.

"Tadashi's gone."

~~O~~O~~

"Gone? How could he be gone?"

They had recruited the whole team to meet in half an hour at the Hamada brother's garage slash lab. Hiro had the idea that maybe the rest of them would know where his brother went. But they were as stumped as he was. Honey was the one who had voiced the question, in total disbelief at the disappearance of their friend.

Hiro grimaced and gestured towards Ayako. "We saw Callaghan's office door open and decided to investigate. Tadashi's cap was the only thing we saw, besides a bunch of papers that looked like assignments."

"Did you notify the university?" Wasabi asked, airing out a rather rational question. Hiro answered with a shake of his head.

"We don't know what had actually happened so we called you guys first. I searched for him everywhere in the building but he wasn't there."

"We could try calling his phone again," Honey said, lifting up the device. "He could have gotten lost somewhere."

GoGo snorted, surprising everyone by speaking for the first time this evening. "Hamada knows this town like the back of his hand. It's not possible that he could lose himself." Tilting her head, she said, "I think Hiro and Ayako are right. He could be kidnapped."

"But who would want to kidnap him?" Fred voiced out. "I mean, he's not really much of a threat unless you challenge him in Black Ops."

Ayako shared a glance with Hiro who was holding his brother's cap close to his chest. There was something off about this scenario, something that she couldn't quite put a finger on.

"Has he ever made any enemies?"

The team shifted their gazes towards her. She flushed and mumbled, "I mean, think about it, it seems like there's malicious intent somewhere."

Honey was the first to reply, shaking her head. "Dios mio, Tadashi is a nice person. He doesn't have any enemies as far as we know of."

"Yeah. The guy is a lot like Baymax; friendly and non-threatening."

"There must be a reason why Tadashi's missing," Hiro said, frowning. Ayako could see the cogs in his brain working as the teen paced around the room, oblivious to the stares of his friends. Hiro was deep in thought and did not notice a stray tool box on the floor. Before Ayako could warn him, his foot caught on the box and he went tumbling down.

"Ow!"

She made a move to help him but was stopped by the sound of gentle whirring coming from the end of the room.

Everyone looked to find an inflated Baymax ambling over to them, round optic lens blinking innocently.

"You have suffered a fall," he said in that neutral tone that she had never heard before. Ayako was awed at the sight of the nurse-bot, having no prior experience in meeting him. Hiro, however, seemed more or less familiar with the bot and gave it a soft greeting.

"Uh, hey Baymax. I-I forgot that you were active."

"What seems to be the problem?" The big white robot said as he made his way over to the fallen teen and helped pick him up. Metallic gears sounded and she watched as he assessed Hiro.

"You have suffered some minor abrasions on your elbows and knee." Fascinated, she saw the robot applying a thin mist of antibacterial spray on Hiro's wound and covering it with a plaster.

"There," Baymax said in his endearing neutral tone. "All better."

"H-How did he do that?" she marveled, curious.

"Tadashi implemented some scanners in Baymax to detect anything off in the human body," the younger Hamada explained. Ayako could only gape, astounded by the extend of her boyfriend's intelligence. It was like seeing Tadashi in a new light as he was always grounded and unassuming whenever he was around her.

Wasabi frowned, shaking his head. "We should get back to the matter at hand. I think we should tell the authorities."

GoGo nodded. "I agree. They should know what to do."

"But what if," Fred started, looming ominously behind the group, startling Honey. "What if he was kidnapped by someone who wanted his brain and to use his intelligence?"

"I don't think so, Fred," Honey said, not entirely sold on the idea. "This isn't a sci-fi movie."

"Honey's right," Ayako said, feeling bad when Fred's expression fell. Although there was always the possibility, she shouldn't rush to conclusions.

"We should tell Aunt Cass," Honey said, voicing her opinion. Hiro winced and as much as he liked to not involve his aunt and get her worried, he was hard pressed to admit that they needed an adult's help.

"I'll tell her," he said, resigned.

Ayako stood up, grimacing. "I'll go with you."

"What, you want to tell her now?" Hiro asked, wide-eyed.

"I cannot power down until you say you are satisfied with your care," Baymax intoned, reminding everyone that he was still there.

"Oops, sorry bud. I am satisfied with my care."

Ayako thought it over as she saw the robot ambling back to his port and deflating. "I mean we need to tell her so that she won't feel angry that we kept this from her." Expression hardening, she uttered, "and it's not like she won't notice."

Hiro deflated, breath leaving him in one whoosh. "Fine," he sighed. "I'll tell her." Exposing a moment of vulnerability, he stared up at her with those big brown eyes, pleading. "Will you be there with me, too?"

She chuckled. "When you do that, what choice do I have?"

The rest of the team laughed, breaking the tension and reminding them that there was nothing to fear and it could be handled by the adults.

Ayako had hope that the police would know something and reassured herself that they would help.

After all, what could a bunch of kids do at a time like this?

~~O~~O~~

Aunt Cass was predictably worried when they told her.

With stark white knuckles that held on tightly to the steering wheel, she brought them to the police station to file a missing persons report. Ayako and Hiro sat next to each other on the cold plastic chairs, watching as Cass filled in a form with pursed lips. She had suggested Ayako come along with them, in case the police had any questions and she could back Hiro up.

They waited for the procedure to go through, silent and morose with their thoughts, only to be told that the process for filing a missing person's report would only go through after forty eight hours.

"So you want us to fiddle around for forty eight hours while we wait for any news on my nephew?" she snarled. "He could be dead for all I know!"

"I'm sorry Miss Hamada," the policewoman said with a shake of her head. "We can only take action when it enters the hour mark. We apologize for any worry caused."

Aunt Cass seethed in silence and said no more, turning around to face the both of them. "Come on, there's nothing we can do."

Ayako and Hiro shared a glance and there was no need for them to voice their worry. She could see her same fear reflected in Hiro's eyes.

They stood up to go, and Hiro trailed after his aunt. Ayako hung back for a moment and caught the policewoman's eyes. She walked up to her and said, "but will you be ready to take action?"

The other woman nodded. "We will. Just hang in there, and try to be patient. We'll work on it as soon as it passes the forty eight hour mark."

Ayako nodded, pulling her cardigan closer in an attempt to catch warmth that was missing from this whole evening. "Thank you."

She didn't wait for the policewoman to reply, walking out of the station to a chilly night.

Hiro waited for her to enter the car first before closing the door, the three of them leaving the space in deadened silence.

Ayako felt that something was off. Who would take Tadashi and why did they?

Questions bounced in her mind, taunting her with the answers she couldn't find. Glancing at the cap still clutched in Hiro's tight fingers, she gnawed on her lower lip.

_Tadashi, where are you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop now the brother and girlfriend know. Plus Aunt Cass, too. 
> 
> Yes, this is officially now a canon divergence and I would like to say that this additional story line was not used in BH6 and is a little hard to incorporate into the movie's events so I would appreciate it if you guys could tell me how I did and if it's believable.
> 
> Comment and tell me your thoughts!


	25. The Golden Week

A sharp pain in his temple nagged him awake, a piercing agony that he couldn't keep at bay. Tadashi groaned, bringing a hand up to the swollen skin, feeling the sticky residue of what he was pretty sure was blood. Every part of his body ached and even sitting up required a Herculean effort.

The metallic taste of blood was present in his mouth and he winced, prying his eyes opened as he leaned up on his elbows. The world twisted and bent, vision tunneling before righting again, the dark colors coalescing into a solid form, bringing with it the image of a dark room.

He looked around, unsure of where he was. The walls were bare, the floor a granite grey that seeped coldness in his skin and in return, stole his warmth. Tadashi was in a cage of sorts, the faint hum of electric present in the air.

The humming seemed to be coming from the bars and he quickly scurried away from them, eyes wide in panic.

Tadashi gaped, the pain in his head forgotten as the last memories came rushing back to him.

Callaghan's office, a dark shadow, the force of a blunt object hitting the side of his head as his body rushed to meet the pavement, vision going black before his knees hit the ground...

Tadashi grimaced and his fingers drifted up to wipe the last of the blood off from his skin. His eyes darted around the cage, searching for a way out, mind rushing with a million possibilities.

He noticed that the cage was connected to wires above, a rather primitive cage, in his opinion. Connected to the wires was a small box where he knew would disable the electric current around the bars.

Question is: How would he do that?

Tadashi couldn't go near the bars as he knew it would electrocute him nor could he reach out and grab something to throw at the controller box.

He breathed in deeply through his nose and scanned the area again. There must be something that he could use to help him out of this mess.

A thought came to him and he rummaged his pockets, searching for his favorite plastic pen. The material would not conduct electricity and if he could just get it through...

His pockets turned up empty and he grunted in frustration.

Eyes darted around the room again.

"Come on, Hamada, you can do this," he muttered as he stood up, pacing around the cage to find a loophole for a way out of this.

He took a deep breath again, trying to calm his frayed nerves. Maybe there was something around here that he could use to get free.

The ceilings were a myriad of pipes, all connected to one another, leading to a different room closed off by huge swinging doors, the metal handles latched up with a huge lock and chain. Scaffolding jutted out randomly above, like a web of metal. Vents were placed sporadically and led out to various grills that were the only source of light illuminating the empty space.

Tadashi was so caught up studying the place that he missed the light footfalls that sounded from behind him. He turned around, hands lifting up in defense as he saw a hooded black figure walking over to him from the shadows. The figure took a step into the light and he recoiled back.

Dressed in a long black coat, the figure was blatantly a man judging from his height and broad shoulders. But that wasn't the only thing that caught his attention and apprehension.

The kabuki mask he wore was streaked with red paint, and if his memory served well, it was the color of revenge.

He stepped back, arm nearly swinging into a buzzing bar and he yelped, pulling his limb back.

The masked figure stopped and studied him, head tilted to one side.

"W-Who are you?" He demanded, cursing the stutter in his voice.

The silent figure didn't answer, recovering from his falter and approaching him. The figure walked over to the controls and flipped a switch. The humming died down, causing Tadashi to tense up with the sudden loss of the electricity.

The mask man opened the cage and Tadashi prepared himself to push the him away, maybe even getting a good kick in and fleeing the place as fast as his feet could take him.

It was as if the man could read his thoughts. He lifted his hand and a loud buzzing sounded behind him.

Tadashi's eyes widened and a terrified gasp left his lips.

It appeared like a black wave, drifting behind the man and positioning beside him, acting as a safety net in case he decided to escape.

Hiro's microbots.

"H-Hey," he said, the anger cresting in his chest. "That's my brother's! How did you get it?"

The man didn't answer, pretending as if he didn't hear. He fished around in his long coat and produced a packet of dry crackers, tossing it to Tadashi along with a bottle of water.

Before the young man could comprehend what had just transpired, the Kabuki closed the cage door, activating the electricity once more.

Tadashi sank down in a sitting position as he tried to wrap his head around this new twist.

The man had his brother's microbots... but how? He thought that Hiro's inventions had all been destroyed in the fire. If so, who was controlling them now?

Tadashi didn't know, and for once in his life, the thought that he had no idea scared him even more than his current predicament.

~~O~~O~~

Two days he was gone. Two days of Ayako not sleeping in peace, constantly tossing and turning, emerging in the morning more tired than when she left for bed.

Masaki was starting to notice her daughter's lethargy and for the first time, Ayako volunteered information for her, telling her that Tadashi was missing.

Her mother wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders, squeezing lightly. "He will be okay," she said, and Ayako had to smile at that.

It was a small gesture, but that was progress to her.

In school, news of Tadashi's disappearance started spreading, connected to her once people found out that she was his girlfriend. Lucy was the first person whom she told of Tadashi and her friend had gasped, horrified.

"Where do you think he went?"

"I don't know, Lucy," she said, running a shaky hand through her waves. "I wish I did."

The red head sat down next to her, ignoring the busy bustling of the cafeteria. Other students passed by her, some of them oblivious, others sparing her a short glance, curiousity written all over their faces.

"Ignore them," Lucy said tersely, twisting her hair with her index finger, something she recognized as her friend only doing when nervous.

"When did you find out that he went missing?"

"Two days ago. His aunt has already filed a report."

"How are you doing?" Lucy asked, compassion flooding the space between them. Ayako shrugged, listlessly tugging on her cardigan sleeve. The material reminded her of Tadashi's favorite gray cardigan and a wave of longing and anguish crashed into her.

Mike siddled up next to her, along with Keiro and Miko, each of them giving her looks of worry and sympathy.

"Lucy told us," Miko said, patting her hand. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know," Ayako said, mustering a small smile. Keiro and Mike shared a glance.

"He'll be okay," Mike reassured. "We know that he would never leave without a reason."

"I don't think he left, to be honest," she muttered.

"What do you mean?" Miko asked, tugging her eyebrow piercing. Ayako shrugged, growing despondent with all the attention on her. She didn't know what to do when people were worried about her.

"It means that we think he might've been taken. Since he's a legal adult, the police are hesitant to say that he was kidnapped. They say that he's missing instead."

Miko grimaced. "Yeah, that's what my dad told me." She offered, "if you need any help from my dad, or my amazing hacking skills, you could always ask me."

It was no secret in their group of friends that Miko was an accomplished hacker and learned the best from her brother who was a government specialist trained in the field of infiltrating websites.

Ayako couldn't believe it when she heard the story, thinking that it sounded too James Bond for real life. But she'd grown used to Miko's tales of her legendary brother and felt a sliver of jealousy at how close they were.

Typical only child syndrome.

"Nah, I don't want you to get in trouble with your dad," Ayako said, gently squeezing her hand that had yet to leave hers.

Miko retracted back her touch, and gazed at her in compassion. "If there's any police procedure you're not so sure of, I'll be glad to help."

"Thank you," Ayako said, staring at each and every one of them. A rush of affection welled in her heart at their concern. "Really. Thank you, guys."

Lucy grinned. "What are friends for?"

~~O~~O~~

The days dragged on sluggishly with no news on Tadashi. She had been informed by Miko that once the golden week passed for missing person's cases, the police would cool down their searching.

It was with a terse tone that she told the same thing to Hiro.

"That's unfair," the teen bit out.

"I know," she said, lounging on her bed and staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes felt heavy yet she couldn't find it in herself to go to sleep.

"We have to do something."

"The police are doing all they can."

"No, I'm not talking about the police, I'm talking about us."

Ayako sat up from her position and crossed her legs under her. "What do you mean?"

"I had an idea when I took a look at Baymax's schemes. Tadashi left them around."

She frowned, urging him to continue.

"Come along to the lab, I'll tell you more there." She stood up and reached for her cardigan.

"Okay, give me a second."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun. So I'm pretty sure most of you can guess what's happening now. The next chapter would focus on Tadashi's POV and more upgrades to the team.


	26. Off-Limits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi finds that he is in a stickier situation than he first expected.   
> And that Yokai seems achingly familiar.

Tadashi had lost count of how many days he had been spending in this God-forsaken cage. There was nothing for him to do, nothing to distract him from the dread churning in his gut.

The masked man - this Yokai that had captured him - only came to his cell twice a day to give food. Not once did he try to speak. Tadashi was starting to get unnverved by the endless silence.

Today, he decided, he was going to get some answers.

Light footfalls sounded again, eerily echoing in the dead air. The masked man came into view, packet of bread and a water bottle in his hands.

Behind him, the ever looming cloud of microbots swirled, an ominous minion following its master. There was no doubt about it. Those were Hiro's microbots right down to the design and he deduced that Yokai was controlling them through his mask.

He punched in a code from the keypad near Tadashi's cage and the electricity fizzled away, allowing him to enter. Tadashi watched, guarded as he passed him the water bottle first. He wanted to twist the man's hand and elbow his way out of this place, but the microbots started humming, as if they could sense his intention.

The young man could do nothing, accepting the food with despondent resignation.

"Do you need to use the toilet?"

Tadashi jerked his head up at the sound of a mechanized voice piping up, the vocals distorted and deep. A vocal box, he thought, mind already whirling.

Yokai must really not want him to know his true identity.

"Um, yes."

The masked man walked out and indicated that Tadashi should follow him. Something about that move was hauntingly familiar to the young man.

He opened the door and allowed Tadashi to go first. The robotics student tentatively walked down the hallway, unsure of where to go. His quick mind took in the details.

The metallic walls, the slab of cement he was walking on, a dark hallways illuminated by gas supplied lamps. It reminded him of a lab, a place where inventions were created and stored where they would be safe from the public. Inventions like nuclear or bio weaponry.

Tadashi followed the man's instructions, turning left where a small door indicated the men's toilet. He wondered if there was a window he could sneak out of, hopefully being able to find a telephone and alert the authorities on his whereabouts.

"Do not try to escape, I will have you captured back again." It was as if the masked man had read his mind.

"Why?" The question was out before he could stop himself. "What have I ever done? Do I even know you?"

Yokai didn't deign to answer and Tadashi huffed a breath, entering the space. The smell of stale sweat and urine greeted him and he wrinkled his nose, disgusted. Stuffing his nose with the sleeve of his cardigen he quickly did his business, trying the flush but finding it unresponsive.

Tadashi scanned the area, from the broken toilet bowls to a leaking sink. The place looked like it had been destroyed, not by time but by an explosion and hastily rebuilt back. He searched for windows, and all that he could see was one grimy glass pane covered by dirt and dust.

There would be no escape in the first place.

Washing his hands in the sink that still functioned, Tadashi returned outside where the man stood waiting for him. With a swish of his long, dark trench coat, he set down the hall again.

He had made the mistake of turning around. Tadashi could fight him.

The young man didn't give it extra thought, curling his hand into a fist and quickly striking Yokai's side.

The masked man grunted and Tadashi took the chance to swerve past him and shoot down the hallway. He ran, not knowing where he was going but knowing that he had to escape this place and return home.

Skittering metallic feet hitting the cement sounded behind him and he chanced a look behind to find a wave of microbots giving chase, Yokai in the middle orchestrating this madness.

Tadashi turned a sharp corner, soles skidding and nearly fell, rushing down a similar hallway. The microbots were gaining up to him and, in a desperate last pitch, he opened one door that was left ajar, hoping that he could lose Yokai. Pressing himself close to the door, he waited with baited breath as Yokai passed the door, misled into a different direction.

When no other sounds ensued, he released a shaky breath, sagging with relief. Alert once more, he couldn't afford to be too relaxed, Yokai still probably after him. Tadashi blinked and took in the room, gasping softly in surprise.

In front of him was the same portal that he once saw in Callaghan's office, the object immediately familiar as it was the first time he had seen technology such as this. He walked towards it, seeing the destruction that laid waste around the room. Catwalks were bent and out of shape, as if something had rammed into them. Debris covered the floor and Tadashi flinched when he passed by a clipboard. The wooden board was cracked and he immediately knew that this was where they conducted their experiments.

The questions was, what were they experimenting on and which company was responsible for this?

Taking in the destructed zone once more, he made the connection; seeing as this place seemed abandoned, Yokai must've been keeping him in an off-limits zone.

Approaching the broken portal, he placed a hand on the twisted metal, the cool seeping into his skin. This technology was beyond what he was accustomed too, something out-worldly and inconceivable to his creative mind. He had no idea what portal this was, and if he were to guess, it was probably linked to teleportation, or something along those lines of dimension travelling.

He didn't get to ruminate for long. Tadashi was yanked back from his feet and tossed to the side of the room, a grunt of pain leaving his lips.

He looked up to find Yokai looming over him and if it was possible, the mask glowed a bright red, a sign of his anger.

"What do you want with me?" Tadashi snarled, standing up and fighting back a wince when he felt something twinging in pain. "If you want my help I can't offer that. This machinery is too complicated for me and-"

"I don't need your help," the gravelly voice said.

"Then why am I here?" Exasperation leaked into his tone. "What do you want with me here if I can't help you?"

Yokai advanced towards him, looming and threatening. Tadashi was pushed towards the wall and despite himself, he closed his eyes, anticipating retribution for his disobedience.

"I only brought you here because you know too much," Yokai said and grabbed his arm, pushing him towards the door. "That and you'll stop my plans if you knew."

"But I don't know!" he retorted. "I don't know a thing! How could I stop your plans if I don't even know them in the first place?"

Yokai appeared to shrug as he led Tadashi down the hallway, like a parent shoving their angry toddler. He struggled, but the grip on his arm tightened.

"Behave and you may see your family again."

Tadashi froze, hearing the implications behind his words. "Are you going to kill me?"

"I won't if you listen to me, Tadashi."

The young man's eyes widened. "H-How do you know my name? I-I never told you."

Yokai merely fell silent and they approached the room that he had been kept for the past few days. Throwing open the cage door, he pushed Tadashi in and locked bars in place, electricity humming once again. Footsteps echoed desolately down the silent hallway, chill of trepidation running up his spine.

Tadashi wrapped his arms around his torso, suddenly feeling cold. There was something wrong with this situation.

Something absolutely wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you would and tell me what you think of Tadashi's current predicament. It definitely can't be good. How will the team find out and save him?
> 
> Thank you for reading, hugs and loves muack.


	27. Red Lights

She walked in to find the rest of the gang waiting for her. Flushing, she muttered an apology and went to sit next to Honey.

Hiro was standing in front of them, schematics in place and showing Baymax's internal scan. "Great, now that we're all here, I can say that I may have found a way to find Tadashi and save him."

"I thought the police were working on it," Wasabi piped up, confused. "We can't just interfere with their investigation."

"They haven't come up with anything new," Hiro said and spared her a glance. Ayako nodded, agreeing with his words.

The police had told Aunt Cass that there was no trace of who had taken Tadashi, the kidnapper not having left any evidence of their presence. She was starting to wonder if this was all meticulously planned. If so, then Tadashi truly was in trouble.

The gang fell silent, unsure of what to add.

Honey spoke up. "We all know that you're sad and worried Hiro, but we must have faith. We have to believe that he is safe." Have faith. Ayako wished it could be that easy when all she could think about was Tadashi's body rotting somewhere in a ditch.

"I would rather find my brother than wait around," the teen replied tersely. "He could be hurt."

"What do you think we can do, genius?" GoGo said, arching a brow.

Hiro glared at her. "We could start by using his scans stored in Baymax's data and use it to track him." He sighed, "I just have to figure out how to do that."

Fred pumped his fist, grinning.

"Great idea, little dude. We could totally do that and use my helicopter."

"You mean your toy one," GoGo added dryly.

Wasabi stifled a laugh and Fred pretended like he didn't hear, bouncing in his seat and jostling Ayako.

"Hiro, do you think that this could truly work?" Ayako asked, not wanting to get her hopes up. She wanted to believe that Hiro's outworldly idea would work, but she held her own doubts. "And how are we going to do that?"

"We could-"

He stopped and Ayako could see that his face changed, thinking.

Hiro placed his hand in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out something in his closed palm.

"Hiro, you okay?"

He eyed her with unconcealed confusion. He opened his palm and she saw something jump out and twitch on the ground, moving towards the garage door.

"Hey!" Hiro tried to catch it and bumped his hand into the table, hissing in pain. Wasabi leaned down and caught the microbot before it could run away, clasping both palms on it.

Ayako stood up, making her way towards Hiro. She was stopped by a white robot inflating and ambling towards the teen.

"I heard a sound of distress," Baymax said, much to her stunned silence. She would never get used to seeing an inflatable robot appearing right before her eyes, no matter how many times she witnessed it. "What seems to be the problem?"

Hiro waved Baymax off, giving Ayako an impression that this wasn't the first time that he had met Baymax since that day in the garage. Maybe he sought comfort in his brother's invention now that he was missing? Ayako felt a wave of compassion for him, not able to fathom the pain of missing a sibling.

Baymax tilted his head, taking in Wasabi. "It appears your tiny robot wants to go somewhere."

"It could be a wrong transmission," GoGo muttered. "Interfering with your microbots signal."

Hiro fixed her with a strange look. "Um, they only respond to my neurocranial transmitter." When the gang seemed not to connect the dots, he emphasized, "you know, the transmitter that was destroyed during the fire."

Fred gaped. "Do you mean to say that your inventions survived the fire?"

"There's no other way to know but to follow it," Ayako breathed and the everyone turned to look at her. "Come on guys, it seems too much of a coincidence. The fire, Hiro's microbots all but missing from the aftermath and Tadashi's kidnapping. Something doesn't feel right."

Honey made a worried sound in the back of her throat. "But why? Why would this have anything to do with our friend's disappearance?"

"'Yako is right, we have to follow and hope that this little guy could lead us to the others."

Ayako spared a glance towards Hiro who nodded.

"We can use my car," Wasabi offered and she remembered that he drove the whole nerd gang here. "Come on, we better go before Hiro's aunt finds out. Or my curfew starts."

GoGo snorted as she stood up and followed her friend, the whole team being led by Baymax out into the open where he ambled along, intent on discovering where the lone microbot was heading.

"You and your curfews."

"It helps keep me disciplined," the burly neatnik interjected. He grimaced when he saw the amount of people that would be sitting in the car, including a robot that definitely had to go behind. "Are you sure this is the right thing? We could be breaking laws here, if there are any on civilians conducting their own investigations when the police are already on it."

"It's our only lead," Ayako said, cogworks whirring in her head. She was keeping record of the happenings and she felt close, if not near to the truth. Her heart ached for her boyfriend and she was aware that she may just be conjuring ghosts in her mind that held untold promises of finding Tadashi.

But she had no choice. Ghosts were all she had.

"Let's go," Wasabi said and Fred hummed something that suspiciously sounded like Batman's soundtrack under his breath.

Ayako got in next to Hiro and squashed beside Baymax.

"Turn left," the robot said and Wasabi nodded, starting up the car. They zoomed past the cafe and down the streets, turning past dark alleys and graffiti covered walls. The streets here thinned with the presence of people, loud neon giving way to silent concrete walls, evidence of them leaving the better parts of town and entering into unfamiliar territories.

"Now turn right." Hiro said, staring at the tiny bot in Baymax's hands.

She squinted, taking in their surroundings. They were near the docks of San Fransokyo, the port shining behind them where Wasabi sped by, GoGo urging him to move faster.

"I can't," he grumbled. "Any faster and I'll break the speed limit."

"Well, we aren't going fast enough-"

"Guys, the microbot stopped twitching," Hiro said and she could hear a hint of apprehension coming from the young teen. "Should we get down?"

Wasabi stopped the car and they all stepped out, Baymax having a little trouble. Hiro had to pull him out, passing the tiny bot to Ayako for safekeeping while he helped his brother's invention.

Ayako glanced down and the microbot twitched again, indicating that they should go left. She gestured towards the team and led them down the way, intent on figuring out where the rest of the microbots were.

She stopped when they came to the edge of the docks, nothing else besides the sea expanding in front of them. Frowning, she turned to Hiro. "It stopped moving and here we are."

The rest of the gang looked around, and she could see that they were confused too.

"I don't see the rest of the bots," Fred said.

Ayako frowned, checking out the place. There were shipment boxes surrounding them and she knew for a fact that this place was off-limits to the public. They were not only infringing on private property; they were also breaking the rules by standing too close to the port.

She made to turn, and saw a shadow on one of the shipment boxes. Eyes widening, she saw that the figure appeared to be manipulating a huge box with...dark tendrils?

Wasabi too had noticed and whimpered a, "what in the holy bento is that?"

"Watch out!"

The team ducked out of the way as the box came sailing towards them. They fell to the ground, and the heavy box flew into the water, causing a mass waved that splashed onto the teens. Ayako picked herself up as she ran, following Wasabi's cries of, "get in the car!"

They squeezed in, Baymax sitting on the roof as they had no time to push him in. Wasabi set the car in gear and they sped off, the smell of burnt rubber permeating the air.

Ayako's shoulder slammed into the side of the door and she hung on to the front seat, heart in her throat.

"What was that?" Wasabi yelled. "Who threw that at us?!"

"A dark figure," she replied, turning back. Her face blanched in fear. "Wasabi, he's following!" Up close, she could see that it was a masked person in a dark trench coat, red streaks shining in the passing streetlight, illuminating the ghastly kabuki mask a vengeful red.

Wasabi's eyes flashed in the rear view mirror and she could see them widen in surprise. GoGo turned around, along with Honey, Fred and Hiro, uttering a low curse.

"Dude, he looks like a supervillian!" Fred exclaimed.

Wasabi turned a sharp corner, throwing Ayako into Hiro's shoulder. The teen shot her a look of pure confusion and fear, leaning between the two front seats. The swerving of the car was starting to make her nauseous and she shrieked, "why is he chasing us?"

"Cause he wants to kill us," the burly driver yelled.

"He doesn't want to kill us," Honey said, tone fringed with manic happiness that Ayako knew was forced. Honey was trembling and was trying to put on a brave front. "Right?"

The moment she said those words, a car came careening towards them, barely avoided by Wasabi's precise maneuvering down an empty street. The car jolted and she slammed into the front seat, breath leaving her in a pained  _whoosh._

Wasabi placed his head out from the window. "Hey, why do you want to kill us, huh?"

Ayako turned to find the masked man gaining momentum on them and she yelled, "faster! He's getting close."

The car halted and Hiro would've went flying out the front window had Ayako not grabbed his bony shoulders.

"Why did we stop for?" GoGo yelled over the chaos, shooting Wasabi a glare.

"It's a red light!"

Sure enough, the traffic light above them was a bright red, warning them not to break the rules. A dark shadow fell over them and she knew that the masked man was looming over the car, ready to strike for God knows what reason.

"There are no red lights in a car chase!"

GoGo grunted in frustration, removing the gum she was chewing and sticking it on the dashboard. "That's it," she growled and to her surprise, jumped onto Wasabi's lap, catching the physics student off-guard. Changing the gear and slamming her foot into the accelerator, the car shot down the winded road, throwing the other teens into their seat.

The adrenaline junkie was a faster and more reckless driver, swerving down the streets with none of Wasabi's accurate speeding, nearly hitting a garbage can on her way. If she thought Wasabi's driving was sickness-inducing, GoGo's was positively making her want to hurl. She kept her dinner down and held onto Hiro, the young teen quiet and watching the two drivers with wide brown eyes.

They passed by a train station that was connected to a bridge. She recognized it as the river that cut through San Fransokyo and flowed into the ocean. Otherwise known as something that they would fall into in a matter of seconds.

"The bridge," she squealed, tensing and preparing for the crash. GoGo gunned the engine and the car went flying across the body of water. Screams mingled with one another, unable to differentiate between the shrieks. Ayako snapped her arms up to her face in anticipated dread, mouth opened in a silent scream, preparing for a jarring accident.

The car landed onto the tarmac with a resounding jolt and they were soon down a separate way. Ayako recovered and whipped her head around, seeing the masked man easily crossing over the split, aided by the bots.

She gasped, "he's still on our trail."

Wasabi jolted and placed his hands on the window. "GoGo, watch out! The ocean!"

Ayako glanced up in horror to see the car fast approaching a dock where there was nothing but dark water below, waiting. GoGo pressed down on the brake, but it was too late.

They screamed when the car skidded across the edge and plunged into the water. Lights disappeared and cracks started forming on the windows.

"Everyone hold your breath!" Hiro exclaimed. The windows broke under the pressure and water started gushing in rushing fountains. Ayako held her breath as the water rose and covered her neck. Hiro kicked open the window at her side, bringing in more water. Her hair trailed around her like dark seaweed, eyes burning from the salt water.

Vision blurry, she barely made out Hiro's form and followed him out of the broken window. They struggled to swim and she could feel the current tugging her towards an unknown direction. Bubbles streamed out of her clamped mouth and she started feeling the first breath of dizziness from oxygen deprivation.

She saw a white mass in front of her, five other figures latched on it. Kicking her feet she swam towards them and held on, ears popping as they moved from the deeper pressure to the surface. Looking up, she saw the Kabuki man standing on the edge of the dock, giving them one last glance, as if making sure they were all dead before walking away.

Ayako closed her eyes as her head broke surface. Drawing in sharp gasps, oxygen filled her like a sweet salvation, invigorating her burning lungs.

She blinked the water from her eyes and saw the rest of the gang doing the same.

Her mind was running on adrenaline, noticing the small things; the feel of cool water on her near feverish skin, GoGo's purple streaks darkening from the water and blending with her hair, the piece of gum that floated by and being placed into her grimacing mouth.

Ayako shuddered, partly from the cold and the other from their near death experience. She didn't know who was behind that mask and why they wanted to kill a bunch of teenagers.

All she knew was that she was alive. And that was all she needed right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Boy was that a ride (pun intended). I am so sorry for not updating sooner, I had just got back from a summer vacation and have been busy with unpacking and cleaning up.
> 
> Summer, amiright?
> 
> Laters and please do leave a review, if you would! It gets me to write faster wink wink nudge nudge.


	28. Gearing Up

They got out from the ocean with Baymax's help, shivering from the cold seeping into their sodden clothes. Ayako wrapped her arms around herself, soaked to the bone and finding no warmth.

"W-We need a place to g-get dry," Hiro said through chattering teeth. They were all too tired to suggest something else, stumped to where they could recuperate and find comfort.

"I know a place not far from here," Fred said, and gestured for them to follow him. Ayako was too stunned to do anything but follow, squeezing salt water from her hair. The rest of them followed Fred, trudging down a lighted street, cool breeze picking up on their skin. Ayako wished she had more common sense to not wear a tank top.

They reached the end of the street and she looked up, mouth falling open in shock.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Wasabi mumbled.

GoGo whirled around and glared at Fred. "If this is a prank, so help me-"

The door to the huge Victorian-looking mansion swung open and a well-dressed butler didn't even blink when he saw the soaked teenagers. "Ah, Master Frederick, you're here."

"Yo Heathcliff, my man." She watched, slack-jawed as Fred fist-bumped the butler and let himself in like he owned the place.

"Um, Fred, what place is this?" Wasabi asked cautiously.

Fred turned around, as if he was just noticing them. "Oh, don't worry guys, this is mi casa. It's French for 'my home'."

Honey chuckled beside her, shaking her head. "It's really...not."

He gestured for them to enter and they did, stepping into the warm interior. Ayako took in the huge space, from the flamboyant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling to the curving staircase that led to a huge upper room that she couldn't see from her position near the door. The walls were cream, highlighted with burgundy and she followed Fred down the hall towards the stairs. Ayako was aware that she was dripping water on the carpeted floor.

The school mascot took them to a room filled with comic book paraphernalia and a huge painting depicting a much muscular Fred on top a white saber tooth tiger. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was his room. Ayako admired the Kaiju suits all around her, noticing one that said, "Fred's. Do not touch." Stacks upon stacks of comic books littered the couch and television area in front of them.

Fred walked over and turned the heater on, warm air blowing through from the overhead vents.

"I...seriously had no idea you lived here," GoGo said. "I always thought you lived under a bridge or something."

"Nah, this is my dad's mansion," he said and gestured towards the couch. "Be my guest."

Ayako sat down and rubbed her hands together, wishing that she could get a towel to wipe her hair. Fred seemed distracted and was ushering them to relax, so she decided to ask later.

Vaguely, she wondered if Tadashi had any idea that his friend lived in a mansion and why he hadn't told her when the topic of Fred came up. She sighed, hugging herself tighter. How she missed him.

"Okay, we nearly got killed my a masked master mind," Wasabi started, "did anyone think that it was weird?"

They nodded, comfortable now that there was heat.

"Do you think it has anything to do with Tadashi?" Honey asked, voicing the question that they were all reluctant to ask.

Hiro made a strangled sound in the back of his throat. "If that's so then he's in deeper trouble than we expected."

"I know who might be responsible for this," Fred said and stalked to his huge flat screen television, switching it on. A picture of Alistair Krei flashed and he paused it, pointing to the businessman's portrait. "No other man than Alistair Krei himself."

"Krei?" Ayako said in disbelief. "Why would he want to kidnap Tadashi?"

"Remember the time during the showcase when he took one of Hiro's bots and Tadashi called him out on it? Maybe he decided to take matters into his own hands."

"And the stolen microbots?" Honey asked. "And why did he kidnap Tadashi when Hiro is the true inventor of the microbots?"

"Bait?" Ayako suggested.

"Listen," Fred said and gestured for them to keep quiet. He roved around them, expectant look on his face, the sort of similar expression she had seen Honey wear when the blonde chemist explained her latest innovation that could cause destruction while appearing innocent; it was the expression of a maniac.

"Krei wanted to partner up with Hiro but he said no, right? Well, maybe Krei caused the fire to act as a diversion and stole the microbots instead."

"That doesn't explain Tadashi's kidnapping," Wasabi said, frowning.

"I was getting to that," he retorted and quirked what must've been the first exasperated glance she had ever saw Fred wore. "When he realized that he couldn't replicate it, he decided to kidnap Tadashi instead because he was the one who spoke out of turn."

"So, what you're trying to say is that Krei kidnapped Tadashi to be his slave inventor?" GoGo arched a brow, skeptical.

"Hey, if you've had as much villain background experience as I did then you would know that the bad guys will do anything to get what they want, even if some of it doesn't make sense."

His explanation made sense and Ayako pursed her lips, wondering when did influential businessmen resort to kidnapping college students and starting fires to steal their little brother's inventions.

"Sounds far fetched, but it could be a possibility," she eventually agreed.

"Guys, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hiro asked, breaking the tension.

Every eye turned to him.

"We could form our own team and search for Tadashi. We would need super suits and weapons-"

"Wait, what?" Wasabi questioned, slightly panicked. "We can't do that, we're nerds!"

Hiro was staring at something behind their backs and Ayako followed his gaze, catching sight of one of Fred's retro looking comic book poster that showed six figures on the cover, garbed in super suits and standing over a blazing Tokyo.

"Hiro," Ayako started and the teen glanced back at her. "I know you want to find Tadashi, but like this?"

"It has to be," he replied, somber. "Tadashi always said to look at things from a different angle. And I am. If San Fransokyo's task force of police can't find my brother, we have to. He would want to be safe."

She bowed her head, accepting. "Okay, I could help cover for you guys."

"You're not joining us?" Honey asked, surprised.

"I can't fight," the dark-haired painter said with a soft smile. "But I can help Baymax patch all of you up if you don't mind."

GoGo was the one who spoke up, stunning Ayako momentarily at how easily she agreed with her proposal.

"We don't," the adrenaline junkie retorted. "The more people in this, the better chance we have at finding Tadashi."

For once, Hiro agreed, saying, "okay guys, get your ideas ready and pitch em' to me. We're gonna need some upgrades."

~~O~~O~~

An explosion sounded, alerting her to the fact that someone may have hurt themselves. Wasabi shrieked and ran out from the lab, with a dirt covered GoGo at his heels. The short girl had a smirk on her face and a palm streaked with grease as she chased after him, unaware of the spectator they garnered.

Ayako cracked a smile, the first one on her face ever since yesterday. Hiro and the rest of the gang had been busy for the rest of the day, tirelessly updating their superhero suits and generally testing them out at Fred's mansion. The quality of the suits impressed her, and she should've known never to underestimate a Hamada, Hiro creating batch after batch of suits, fixing them up in record time and testing out their abilities as soon as they were created, never missing a beat and refusing breaks.

She had tagged along, wanting to be a part of them but unsure of how to play a much more active role besides patching them up with her basic knowledge of first aid.

It was hard for her to feel happy as half of the time, she was torn between worry for Tadashi and worry if this was the right thing that the team had decided to do. The young woman knew that if he were here, Tadashi would definitely tease her for being such a mother hen.

But he wasn't, and the thought hung heavy in her heart like an anchor in the middle of the sea.

She tried to keep the smile on her face, but it was marred by the constant grimace of worry she had for Tadashi. The same questions rotated around her head, like a never ending Russian roulette of guilt and fear, catching her off guard at the most inappropriate moments.

Like when she had witnessed Wasabi's cutting edge laser techniques with the tennis ball machine, she was honestly in awe at the fact that a fourteen year old had invented that, giving her more proof that Hiro was beyond talented. She had wondered what Tadashi would've thought about his baby brother when the implications of her words caught up to her.

_I'm thinking of him as if he's already dead._

And that was what she feared the most.

That they were too late to save him and he might already be dead. That Krei or whoever was behind that mask had gotten what they wanted and were now deciding what to do with a young inventor that knew too much.

A small part of her rationalized that she may be thinking too dramatically, the other part couldn't help but wondering if there was more to the fire and kidnapping that meets the eye. Two unfortunate events within the span of three weeks befalling two brothers were much too suspicious for her to ignore. And she wondered, did Hiro see that, or was he leading them down a path that tthey weren't so sure they were ready to take?

~~O~~O~~

"Hey, genius, I brought you your lunch," Ayako said by way of greeting as she interrupted a messy haired Hiro who was pouring over his blueprints.

The young boy looked up at her, frowning and she couldn't help the tug in her heart at how tired he looked. Hiro blinked a few times before taking the tray from her.

"Thanks," he replied and took a sip of the lemonade that Heathcliff had brewed for them. She peeked over his shoulder, complicated equations and mathematical theory greeting her.

"Wow, that looks...hard."

Hiro turned to her with a smirk, tapping a wooden pencil against his cheek.

"It's for Baymax's rocket boosters. He's going to fly."

A fond smile tugged on her lips and she took the seat next to him. "That I wouldn't doubt."

His smirk faded and for a moment, his eyes flitted, unfocused.

"Whoa, are you all right?" She asked, concerned. Without warning, she placed the back of her hand gingerly on his forehead, lips pursing as she determined he was running a low fever. "You're heating up."

Hiro flinched from her contact and jerked his head back, defensive. "I'm fine," he said and waved her concern away. "S'tired, that's it."

"Why don't you take a nap? I'm pretty sure you need one-"

"I can't," Hiro said archly, returning his attention to the blueprints. "I need to finish this."

"Tadashi would want you to rest, Hiro," she said softly, noticing the way how his back stiffened.

Hiro glanced up at her, and she could plainly see the dark circles under his eyes and the stubborn determination shining there. "He would want me to find him."

When she didn't reply, he heaved a huge sigh, cracking his neck. That chink had been killing him for the past hour.

"Did you know I found his scooter?" He asked out of the blue, causing her to snap her head up and stare at him.

"No, I didn't. Where did you find it?"

"In the college car park." Hiro's plans lay forgotten as he fixed her with a hard stare and Ayako attempted to wrap her head around this fact.

"Did you get it back?"

"No, the police wanted it to remain there for further investigation," Hiro said, pressing his lips together. "I...I just want to know what happened to him."

Just like that, self-confident, genius prodigy Hiro Hamada had transformed to a scared teen who was rubbing his temples like he was in pain.

"Hey," she admonished. "We're going to find him, okay? Between all of us, whoever took him wouldn't stand a chance."

Hiro nodded, glancing back at her. Ayako's heart ached for the poor teen; she had never seen him look so vulnerable.

To her surprise, she wrapped her arms around Tadashi's little brother, pulling him in for a much needed embrace. His wild raven hair tickled her chin but she didn't let that bother her.

"You can do it. We believe in you, he believes in you. I do, too." Her voice was gruff, laced with raw emotion that she held at bay.

He patted her back a little awkwardly and she released him, wearing a smirk.

"Now take a time off and head back to your work when you feel better. It'll help you a ton, trust me."

Nodding, Hiro spared her a small smile.

"Thanks for the encouragement, 'Yako. I really needed it."

She grinned, partially from the pride swelling in her heart and the fact that this was the first time she had ever heard him call her 'Yako'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand I'm back. Hope you all liked this chapter. I was thinking of making a playlist for this fic. Dunno, maybe I will if I can get enough song inspiration.
> 
> Review, darlings! It keeps me motivated


	29. Akuma Island Escape (Part 1)

"You guys look amazing," she complimented, standing beside the group as they tested out their new gear. She loved the way how Hiro played up on their different strengths; from Wasabi's obvious expertise in laser technology, Honey's chemistry in the form of an infinite chemical concocting purse, GoGo's maglev wheels and Fred's Kaiju suit that breathed real fire.

And Hiro's suit was pretty impressive too. He and Baymax worked together in an obvious synergy with the robot's red armor designed to let Hiro cling onto his back while flying.

Hiro had even tested it out, zooming dangerously low from the ground to shooting up in the air. She could only watch in awe as he flew over the San Fransokyo skies, a red blip from her vantage point.

"Look at them go," Honey whispered, gaze locked on them.

"So majestic," Fred replied dreamily.

"They better not collide with Sushi Emperor's mascot downtown," she commented dryly to which GoGo snorted back a laugh.

"Knowing Hiro, he'll probably wonder if he could do that."

~~O~~O~~

While they waited for the teen to head back to Fred's mansion, Ayako explored the halls, noting with interest the various paintings hanging from the burgundy walls.

"Pretty, huh?" A voice called from behind.

She looked over and saw Fred sauntering over, grinning from the inside of his Kaiju suit as he gestured to the painting of a woman pouring a pot of water into a bubbling spring.

"I always thought the lady didn't get her job done right, throwing water into the river when it's obviously full. Like no duh woman, it's full."

Ayako hummed, the paint nerd in her coming out to play. "Actually, Jean Antoinne Marco painted that to depict human's ability to constantly put energy and time in something that had its own flow; like when we try to change time, worrying about the future when there's only living in the now."

Fred looked interested. "Great concept. Still don't get it."

She pointed at the gorgeous painting, stating, "did you know that this painting used to be in provenance to an aristocratic family?"

"Really?" Fred said, looking confused. "Cause dad bought that when he was down in England during a mansion auction. Something Riverdale or Rivergale – I don't know, but it was a family."

Ayako's mouth fell open in shock. "For real? Your dad actually stepped foot in the Riverdale mansion that has been closed off for ten years after their murder scandal?"

Fred shrugged as if it was something normal that his father did every day; waltzing in forbidden mansions and buying their most prized paintings as normal as entering a grocery store for vegetables.

She would've said more if it wasn't for Heathcliff walking briskly down the hallway with news of Hiro's return.

Fred beckoned to her and they were heading out to the garden where Hiro stood next to Baymax, looking windswept yet solemn. Funny, if she just came back from flying over San Fransokyo, she would've at least looked a little bit lively.

"...found his body signal at an abandoned island."

"Wait, what did you say?" She jogged over to them, looking Hiro in the eye. "Repeat, please."

The teen wasted no time. "I was flying over the city when Baymax landed on one of the wind generators and he started the scan. Tadashi is alive. He's over at an abandoned island named Akuma."

"So, he's alive?" At once, a dead weight lifted off from her chest and she felt like she could breathe again. "Was he doing well? What did Baymax's scan say? Is he hurt?"

Hiro lifted his hands up, as if to slow down her torrent of questions. "Easy there. We don't know because Baymax wasn't close enough to sense anything but all we do know is that he's alive and at Akuma Island."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going," Ayako said, only to be stopped by GoGo's hand on her shoulder.

"You can't come with us," she stated, staring straight at her, unflinching. She gave the adrenaline junkie a confused stare.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm coming with you-"

"Did you not hear what else Hiro had to say before you started firing off whether Romeo was still alive?" Her blunt tone put Ayako on defense.

"N-No, what-"

"Remember that masked man? He's still there and you could get hurt," GoGo's tone was more firm than dismissal. "And we can't put you through the risk."

"Do you remember what you told me?" Ayako asked, keeping her voice measured although it trembled with indignation. "You told me that I was a part of the team and now I'm being a part of the team."

"But that was when we were agreeing on co-operation. This is a mission and it would be suicide-"

"Enough," Hiro interjected, breaking up their argument. "Ayako can come with us. Every moment we waste puts Tadashi in more danger."

GoGo snapped her mouth shut and marched away, leaving Ayako shaking lightly. She hated confrontations and would rather run away than face them head-on.

"Come on, everyone on Baymax," Hiro ordered and the whole group did as he said, poised and ready for action. "We've got to save my brother."

Hiro gave her a terse nod and climbed on the back of Baymax, who had been relatively silent since he returned from the flight. Ayako didn't think much of it as he helped pull her up along with Honey and GoGo.

Baymax powered up his rocket thrusters and was hovering a few feet from the ground when Wasabi and Fred jumped and grabbed his steady hands.

They were off.

The wind whipped her hair back, making her eyes water from the force of their sting. She lifted a hand to shield her face, fingers locked in a death grip on Baymax's armor in case she would fall to her death from their height above the sea. Her palms were sweaty and her back tingled with apprehension but chancing a look at the others, she noted that they were all calm and collected.

She took a deep breath, scent of salt and brine from the green-foam crashing below.

_Relax, Sorokin. It would just be like riding on Tadashi's scooter... Except a hundred feet in the air._

That thought calmed her and she gave a small laugh.

Honey glanced over at her, smiling widely.

"Amazing, right?"

"Killer view," GoGo replied in a tone that probably held more awe in it than she had ever heard coming from the adrenaline junkie.

"Totally amazing," Ayako replied, having enough comfort and confidence to place her hand down and enjoy the wind on her face. After all, it was not every day that she could ride on the back of an upgraded red-armored nurse bot on her way to save her kidnapped boyfriend.

Frankly, she wondered when did something as insane as that became a part of her reality.

"If I loved heights, I wouldn't so terrified," a voice pipped down from below. She looked over, amused at the sight of a pale-faced Wasabi clinging onto Baymax's robotic arm for life. "But I'm terrified of heights, so I don't love it!"

GoGo snorted at his words.

The island loomed into view, much more scarier than she had first imagined. The place looked bleak and gave off an aura of abandonment. Dark clouds churned and the sea there turned from green to gray, echoing the desolation of the island.

Everyone was instantly on guard.

"I can sense Tadashi there," Baymax said, to which all of them turned their attention to. "His body signal is twenty five percent stronger."

She saw Hiro grimace from the corner of her eye. "Let's hope we can increase that percentage soon. Take us down, Baymax."

The robot did just that, allowing Fred and Wasabi to jump down from a safe height first before landing gently on the dark soil. Ayako got off cautiously, shaky legs making her move slower so as not to fall face first on the ground.

She peeled off her cardigan, taking in the surrounding area. It was a classic 'no barriers' atmosphere with wild grass and rough dirt under their feet.

Hiro turned to look at her. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." The young woman tried to plaster on a smile but it withered when her gaze landed on a 'caution' sign. It didn't take her a genius level of science to know what that meant.

"Guys, this place has radiation," Wasabi hissed in panic, pointing to the sign. Hiro paid no heed, leading the group towards the locked down building, at a door that was blocked with metal bars and numerous coils of rusted chains.

It was starting to feel like a horror movie, right down to the ominous clouds pressing down from the sky, smothering the place like a gray pillow. Electricity static hummed in the air, tell tale sign of a coming storm. She kept her ears peeled, walking behind Honey as the group scoped the place.

_Crack!_

Honey shrieked, a catalyst for everyone's panic as the heroes unleashed their abilities towards the source of sound. Ayako gasped and ducked out of the way, flattening herself against, eyes squeezed shut and praying that it wasn't the lunatic who had kidnapped Tadashi.

The sounds stopped and she cracked one eye open, exhaling in relief.

It was just a pigeon. The bird cocked its head towards them and flew away, unaware of the panic it had just caused.

Ayako took a deep breath and steadied a hand on her palpitating heart. This was not off to a good start.

Baymax looked around in obvious confusion, pointing at the closed off door. "Tadashi is there. I can sense him."

Without any hesitation, Wasabi recovered from his shock and used his lasers to slice a hole through a nearby wall. The opening fell with a thud, rustling up dust and dirt particles that tickled her nose.

The team stepped in, cautious at first, unsure of what lied in this dark corridor. Ayako caught a certain scent that seemed familiar: burnt metal, as if someone was soldering something. The bloody, metallic scent of rust filled the area, a testament to the fact that this place had not been operating in years.

The team made their way down the halls, cautious for the slightest sounds, alert to the fact that they might not be alone here. Hiro led the way with Baymax right behind him, the huge robot a sight of comfort for her frazzled nerves.

Fred was humming a tune beside her, agitating Wasabi who said that he wouldn't hesitate to conk him in the head with his new laser hands. Hiro shushed them all and they continued down the hallway. Ayako strained to hear anything, expecting to catch maybe a faint moan or voice calling out for help. She imagined Tadashi somewhere here and the thought of being closer to where he was calmed her down immensely.

They passed by a door that was ajar, Honey being the first to notice it. She was alerted to Honey's absence when the tall blonde stopped and peered into the room.

"Guys, you might wanna see this," she whispered, loud enough to be carried to the front in this deathly hush.

Ayako stood by her side, peering in and Honey pushed open the door. The team held their weapons up ready and stepped in, circling around the area and assessing for any threats. Ayako half wished she had a gun, never mind that the last time she handled one was two years in a shooting range.

Her attention was immediately caught by a huge looming metal-frame that looked like a...portal?

The others seemed to have realized and were openly staring, some mouths were agape.

"Whoa, what is that?"

The whole place had a look like it just survived a nuclear war, metal from the catwalks above was twisted and debris was littered everywhere. But the portal looked new, as if someone had taken sandpaper and scrubbed it clean. Or rebuilt it from scratch.

"Guys, I think I found a control room."

They followed Hiro's gaze and sure enough, there was a control room with a bunch of computer monitors there. The whole team gravitated towards the area, Ayako bringing up the rear as she surveyed the place one last time.

Hiro sat in front of the computer, switching it on and locating the coded files in record time. She watched, silent and impassive as he unzipped all the files with ease, some of them hard copied and unavailable in the data. He breathed in deeply and she could see him trying to figure out how to extract information.

"Why don't you check the old surveillance records?" she suggested. "They might hold some sort of indication of what happened."

He nodded and opened the file under 'SURVEILLANCE', pressing the last recorded one. The screen went blank for a moment, then a surprise awaited them on screen, walking and joking with the scientists that were once here, patting their backs and beaming from ear to ear.

Callaghan.

"Wait, Professor Callaghan used to work here?" Wasabi asked, stumped. "With  _Krei?_ "

The businessman appeared next on screen, speaking quietly to the test pilot. She could see that the pilot was a young female, hair the color of mahogany and who stood with a confidence that was enviable.

Ayako gazed down at the keyboard and, with Hiro's permission, she started enlarging the screen. This was something Miko had taught her during a slumber party, and she was hard pressed to admit that her best friend's hacker skills served her better than any manicure technique ever could.

She was about to click on the image when her neck hair prickled, fear colliding like an electric storm that sparked her nerves into action.

Turning around, she reacted a fast when GoGo screaming for the team to take cover when a huge chunk of rock came crashing through.

Eyes shut, hands in front of her face, bracing for an impact.

It never came.

She opened her eyes to find Baymax protecting each of them, catching the boulder in his hold like it was a beach ball and lifting the weight easily. Hiro huffed and indicated to the door beside some fallen computer chairs, brown eyes filled with a fiery determination.

"Go, you're the only one who's not armed. Get to safety and we'll come for you."

Ayako wasted no time arguing, darting for the door and hoping for the best. She made it out to the same hallways, free in her movements when she realized that the team would have occupied the masked man and she was safe. For now.

 _Get to safety, get to safety._  Hiro's words echoed in her mind and she searched down the barely lit hallways. She felt like she was running through a computer game, a zombie or murderer waiting for her at every turn now that she was alone and didn't have the company of her friends.

Skidding down the hallway, she was about to take refuge in one of the closed off doors when she heard a muffled yell. Ayako's eyes widened and her breathing quickened that had nothing to do with her running.

She made a beeline for the door, prying it open carefully. It was a room, rather spacious, obviously for storing research materials as evident from the old screw holes on the wall. She walked inside and closed the door, wary of her every footfall that echoed in the deathly quiet room.

"Help!"

Ayako jumped, heart spiking. She recognized that voice.


	30. Akuma Island Escape (Part 2)

Pushing open another door, she was faced with the sight of Tadashi in a cage, half standing as far as the small space would allow.

"'Yako," he gasped.

Relief coursed through her veins, so potent she could've broken down crying right then. But they didn't have the time.

"Tadashi, we have to get you out of here," she whispered urgently, making to touch the bars.

"No!" He thrust his hand out to stop her and she froze, wide-eyed. "They're running with electric and could hurt you."

She retracted her hand, cursing herself for her momentarily foolishness. "Who did this to you? What are we dealing with?"

"I don't know," he replied tersely, tugging on the sleeve of his cardigan. She could see that it was crinkled and stained from days of unwash, his chin scraggly and dark with shadow. His eyes were bloodshot but determined, his hair slicked with grease.

"Oh my God," she whispered, losing composure. "Who would do this to you?"

"Never mind about me," he said, urgent. "Yokai placed me here under an alarm system. The keypad is right behind you."

"Yokai? You mean Kabuki man?"

"Yeah, him."

Sure enough, she noticed the tiny thing, red light blinking ominously, as if sensing her intentions and giving her a pre-warning.

"What did he punch in?"

"I don't know, it could be a 2292 combination. I saw it once."

Ayako nodded and pressed in the same numbers. The light blinked faster and she was aware that she may have gotten the code wrong.

"Tadashi, it's not the right one," she said, struggling not to go into full panic mode. He too seemed horrified.

"Oh no, he'll know I tried to escape and-"

"We can do this," she exclaimed, raking trembling hands through her hair. "Come on, come on..."

"It could be a word, or a name or-"

Something clicked within her and she said, "it must be a name."

She could only think of one name under these circumstances, the numbers coinciding and forming one plausible word.

Punching in the code, she waited with baited breath, the light switching from red to green gave her a relief that was incredibly palpable. The electricity died and the lock to the cage clicked open.

Tadashi staggered out and she immediately rushed to embrace him. These few moments in his arms made her feel more alive than she had all this week, inhaling the scent of him, fabric of his cardigan prickling her cheek.

"You're alive, you're okay," she whispered.

"Thank you," he whispered back, breath brushing her temple. "What did you type in?"

Ayako squeezed his torso once more, and dropped her arms, melting away from his embrace. "There was only one name that entered my mind. ABBY - 2229."

"You're a genius," he said, smiling brightly. "Pure genius."

She flushed and indicated the door. "I have my moments. Now come on, your brother's out there fighting the masked man and-"

"Hiro?!" Tadashi was horrified and Ayako, with abrupt dawning, realized that it was far too unwise to tell him that his little brother was out in the foray.

"You let him come here in the first place? With Yokai? Ayako are you really that crazy as to put my little brother-"

"I didn't," she retorted, glaring at him. "Hiro came here of his own free will and he decided that we should be the ones to find you. Now stop fighting me and let's get going."

Tadashi clamped his mouth shut although she could see that he still wasn't finished with their discussion.

"Unbelievable," he muttered under his breath.

~~O~~O~~

The portal room was in sheer chaos.

Honey's chemical balls caused ice to form on the floor, and she could see imprints of Wasabi's lasers on the walls when he presumably tried to fight off the microbots. Ayako pulled Tadashi into the shadows and indicated that he should keep quiet. The both of them watched the fight with wide eyes, and she saw GoGo zip past, a yellow blur of fierce determination.

Ayako wanted to call out to them, but she could see that they were giving their all, and distraction may prove fatal.

They seemed to have one goal in mind: getting the mask. Tadashi explained to her in terse tones that the man was controlling Hiro's microbots with that device and that if they were to stop him, they must disable the mask first.

Ayako whispered back that they knew and kept her eyes glued to the fight.

She watched, silently triumphant when Baymax grabbed Yokai's leg and plunged him to the ground, stunning him momentarily, allowing for Hiro to remove the mask. Ayako hadn't realized she was running towards the team when she found herself skidding beside Fred, grasping onto his shoulders. She was stunned into silence when the mask came off, unable to believe her eyes.

Tadashi was right behind her and she felt him bump into her, quick breath of surprise escaping.

She looked to him, for answers, for reassurance, something to help with the shock of it all.

Because standing right in front of them was Professor Callaghan himself, in the flesh.

She took in his features, the kindly paternal smile replaced by a hard scowl, blue eyes hardened when it used to sparkle with unspoken wisdom.

 _The_  Professor Callaghan. The same one who they just had a memorial for less than a month ago, whom Ayako had sneaked out of the house to meet up with Tadashi and light a candle for his memory.

It can't be.

"It can't be," Tadashi whispered, horrified. He stepped away from them and towards his professor who still hadn't recovered from his fall.

"Callaghan? It's you." He was stupified, like the rest of the team who were shell-shocked and silent.

"C-Callaghan?" Hiro said, shaking his head. "But why?"

The professor gazed up at them and swiftly returned to his feet. The whole team tensed, lifting their weapons for the slightest move, on the defense.

"I had to," he spat out. "You wouldn't have understood."

Tadashi was breathing heavily, shoulders moving, sucking in breath after breath, trying to calm himself down. She had never seen him this way; his eyes were darkened with anger, thick eyebrows scrunched together and a snarl of disbelief on his face.

"You...you set the fire, didn't you?"

Callaghan didn't even lie, hard gaze trained on his student. "I did. I had to steal the microbots. They were essential."

The air had taken on a deadened quality, tensing and waiting, like the rest of them, for what Tadashi would do.

"I...I nearly ran into the fire for you," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "I was ready to throw my life away to save you."

"A foolish choice," Callaghan spat, nostrils flaring in anger.

Tadashi balled his fists together, as if to keep from swinging a strike at his old professor.

"You were my mentor!" The scream reverbrated through the quiet hall and she jumped, nearly startled out of her own skin. "I trusted you! You were like a father to me!"

His voice broke on the last syllable and she would've wrapped her arms around him had he not pushed her away, marching up to Callaghan and grabbing his collar.

"A father, Professor. I trusted you!"

Callaghan pushed Tadashi away, breaking his grip easily. "You should learn never to trust people so easily, Hamada. That was your mistake."

He swung around and she was so sure that he was going to punch him. What he did was far worse.

She knew that betrayal could do savage things to a gentle mind, especially the betrayal of a close mentor or a father figure. But she hadn't expected him to act this way.

Picking up a broken rod, she watched in horror as he swung it, and it would've went swinging in Callaghan's direction had it not been for a red armored arm stopping him.

Baymax had his arm wrapped around his creator, holding him back. Tadashi kicked and tried to squirm out of the robot's grip, letting go of the rod where it clanged to the ground with hollow finality.

"Let me go!" Her heart broke at the sight of tear tracks on his cheek. "He can't get away, he can't-"

Hiro leaped in front of his brother and tried to calm him down. Chaos erupted and the rest of them tried to calm him, tried to calm each other down. Words were said that shouldn't have been said and he nearly kicked Fred in the face with the force of his thrashing. A litany of curse words expounded, one that shouldn't have been heard by Hiro's ears, but was yelled out all the same. Ayako could only stand there, taking it all in with her mouth agape, unable to coincide what she was seeing to her boyfriend's normal behavior.

Tadashi didn't even seem like himself anymore. And it scared her.

Throughout the scuffle, no one noticed Callaghan picking up his mask and escaping, only realizing it when a column of microbots ascended into the air, taking away his presence from this place.

He struggled even harder, shouting things like, "Callaghan, get back here you coward!" and "I hate you, I hate you!"

Ayako skidded to the front when he managed to squirm out of Baymax's hold and she braced her hands on his shoulders. His first instinct was to fight her off, to push her aside. She caught his gaze, holding onto it tightly like her grip on him. Her pale face was reflected in his darkened brown eyes and she could positively feel the tensing and quivering of anger bunched in his muscles. Tadashi and her locked gazes for what felt like an eternity. She could see the pain there, the confusion, the rage and the agonizing hurt; it spread through her body, affecting her like a plague, and she plainly felt what he was feeling, only at a smaller scale.

With that dose of pain, she felt that she could crumble, lash out. Ayako knew that what he was experiencing was more potent than hers and that it was taking him an immense battle of willpower to fight for calm. It left her stunned at how to react next, reaching for the most logical reason: to maintain eye contact long enough to assuage his anger.

It worked, the rage ebbing away, enough for him to sag, relaxing his taut stance. She exhaled and in the silence, it sounded like a gasp. Ayako was aware of eyes on her, and yet she didn't mind when her grip on him loosened and she rested her palms on his shoulders, his heart beat thrumming in quick agitation. He dropped his gaze to the ground, ashamed yet still enraged, despite her efforts to calm him.

"He's gone," Tadashi growled and she flinched when kicked the metal rod into a wall, the harsh clang resounding through the tense silence.

Her palms twitched on his chest and she stepped back. Tadashi turned from her to face the rest of the group, patching up his anger with disappointment.

"How could you let him go?" he demanded.

"What? So you could hurt him? That wasn't the plan, Hamada," GoGo quipped. "It was to save you and get you back home."

"I had him," Tadashi said, breathing heavily, running a shaky hand through his hair. "I had him and-"

"And what were you going to do? Kill him?"

Tadashi flinched and she cast a fearful glance at GoGo who was watching him with an impassive glare.

"Come on, guys, let's just get home," Hiro said uneasily. "We can figure out what to do from there."

The older Hamada looked like he was about to argue, but one glance at his little brother and he lost his nerve. "All right, let's go. I'm not thinking straight, anyway."

"I'll get Heathcliff on the phone," Fred offered, sounding weary and not like his usual upbeat self. "Baymax can't carry all of us."

They arrived back home after half an hour in the air, Heathcliff expertly landing the helicopter on an empty field. Ayako didn't ask how or where the butler got his aviation licence from, only caring about the weariness settling deep in her bones and how to go from here. The rest of the team looked equally as demotivated and Tadashi didn't even once look at her way.

Getting down in front of Aunt Cass' garage, the team took a reconssiance moment, sitting on the couch, or in Fred's case, laying on the floor.

The silence cascaded in thick swirls, impregnable and filled with unsaid words.

"I think we should figure out where he's going," Hiro piped up after a moment. Tadashi turned to look at him, and it scared her how impassive he was, how he was not reacting to his brother's suggestion of looking for danger.

"I need to take a shower first, if you all don't mind," he said, neutral. Standing up, he walked out of the garage, and Ayako was tempted to follow him when she saw that he was limping. No hesitation, she walked next to him, intent on helping him however she could.

"You don't have to follow me," he said under his breath. She searched his face, finding nothing but weariness and deep eyebags there. The team had averted their eyes, giving them some privacy. She wanted to help but knew that he needed some time alone. Settling herself, she said, "no, I want to tell Aunt Cass that you're here and to use a phone. I need to speak to my mom."

It looked like the rest of the team didn't need her, whispering in hush tones the moment the both of them stepped away.

He nodded, and she followed him up until the hallway, turning down the left door where she caught Cass in the kitchen.

"Hey, Aunt Cass," she had no idea why she had just called her 'Aunt' but she was too tired to correct herself. "Tadashi's back, if you didn't know."

She could've swore that the mug in Cass' hand threatened to fall to the ground in a shattering collision. "Where is he?" The grip on the porcelain tightened. "Is he here?"

"He's upstairs," she said, smiling softly. "Taking a shower. He should be down in a few minutes. If he isn't sleeping."

Aunt Cass exhaled shakily, leaning on the counter and pushed her bangs off her face, unbelieving. "I thought I lost him. I thought I was a bad aunt and-"

"You're not," Ayako said kindly, grasping the other woman's shoulder. "It's okay, Aunt Cass. He's all right now."

Cass' eyes were misty with unshed tears and she nodded, too choked to say anything.

Ayako squeezed her shoulder and ambled towards the payphone outside the cafe. It was a wonder that the modern San Fransokyo still had a payphone, though the young woman was thankful. Her phone was at home, where she had forgotten to pocket it and no doubt in her mother's hands, Masaki probably contemplating calling the police right now.

She ringed her house landline and leaned on the graffiti covered booth, scrunching her nose in disgust when she saw an old wad of gum mere inches from her bare arm.

The phone picked up after three rings and Masaki's raspy voice said, "hello."

"Mom."

"Ayako," she whispered and then hardened her tone. "Where are you? You were gone for the whole day and I couldn't reach you."

"I didn't take my phone," the young woman admitted, rubbing her forehead, anticipating the lecture she was about to receive.

"Ayako, that is completely irresponsible," her mother said with a sharp breath. "Please remember to bring your phone next time. How can I trust you in Russia alone when you can't even remember your phone?"

She straightened, not believing what she just heard.

"Wait,  _Russia?_ "

Masaki sighed, having been caught. "I've...been considering it. But now that you've showed me that you can't remember your phone, I'm rethinking it."

"Wait, mom, I'm sorry," she said, hasty to remedy this. "I'm sorry and I'll remember, promise. Just let me go down to Russia and-"

"Ayako, we can discuss this later. I presume you're at the cafe?"

"Yes," she said, sheepish and already regretting how much worry she gave her mother.

"I'll talk to you later then," Masaki said, sounding tired and worn out, much like how she was feeling.

Ayako nodded, saying, "okay," and set the phone down. She glanced back at the cafe, to the sparse amount of people enjoying a cup of coffee and a brighter Cass serving pastries to her patrons. The Sun was much too hot today, beating down on her bare arms, and yet there was a certain chill in the air, like the loss of something innocent.

She breathed in, taking a moment to feel the atmosphere around her; the rumbling cars, the people who didn't even glance at her and the stench of heated aphsalt. She felt like a stranger looking into her life, an unknown person studying her own movement, noticing a short girl with messy long hair, crossed arms and leaning on a public phone booth, faraway look in her eyes.

It was like a part of her was left at the island, a part of her innocence and she could never look at the world the same way again. Is this what growing up felt like? Getting disconcerted as a major fact of life changed? Like how a supposedly dead professor could come back to life and kidnap his favorite student.

Callaghan. How could he do that to Tadashi? She knew backstories of messed up villains, but Callaghan's story held more to it. What could've had inspired him to cause the fire, faking his own death?

Ayako didn't know. How she wished she did.

She pushed herself from the booth and headed back into the cafe, inhaling the smell of freshly ground beans with relish. A familiar figure walked down the steps and she mustered a smile when she saw that it was him.

Tadashi had managed to shave and put on a fresh pair of clean clothes, all while she was outside. A part of her wondered how long had she been daydreaming and contemplating. And if so, why didn't Cass call her in? Unless the older woman was afraid of interrupting. Ayako was told once by a friend that when she was deep in thought, she held a look of pure rapture, something that people were afraid to shake her out from.

Flushing with second-hand embarrassment, she grasped his arm, frowning at the sudden fragility of his body.

"Do you need anything to eat?" Quiet concern was loud in these circumstances.

He shook his head and appraised her. "Do you want to borrow my shower? I've got a fresh change of clothes."

She weighed in on his offer and shook her head. "Maybe later."

"Let's go and see what they have discussed," he said, gesturing towards the garage.

He made to walk, but she held on to his arm, tugging him back. He stopped and glanced back at her, gaze probing.

She cleared her throat and said, "just tell Cass that you're here. She's been worried sick."

Realization dawned that he had yet to say 'hello' to his aunt, sure to cause her a heart attack while at it.

"Did you at least warn her?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling in amusement. Her expression melted off and she became serious again. "Another thing. Are you okay? What with things happening..."

Ayako trailed off, unsure of what to say. She didn't know if it was wise to bring up his breakdown at Akuma island, wondering if he would hate her when she reminded him.

"I'm fine," he said, although she could see the uncertainty radiated in his eyes. "I'll be fine once we stop him."

"It's not just that, right?" she asked softly. Ayako knew she was encroaching into the territory of unspoken feelings, but she had to be sure that he was okay. He was suffering enough as it was and she didn't want him to bottle it all up.

He glanced down at the floor, giving it all his attention instead. She craned her neck to catch his eye, knowing that she was pushing him to admit something he didn't want. But he had to face the truth, no matter how much he detested the fact. It was a tip she had learned from surfing the internet for cures on PTSD: face your demons, despite how painful it would be head on.

"I'm...fine. Really. Callaghan just caught me by surprise." Tadashi turned to her and she didn't realize how much she missed him until then. Standing on tiptoe, she pressed a soft kiss to his smooth cheek, hint of his citrus aftershave tickling her nose. Ayako missed this, missed his closeness, the novelty of having him in her space once again. His arms wrapped around her torso and she leaned into his embrace, taking in a shuddering breath. She hated the way how he could leave her so shaken from a simple hug.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that," he murmured softly.

"It's okay; we all have have those moments," was all she said simply, and they fell silent, basking in their reunion.

She pulled away after a moment, giving him a small smile. "Meet us after you talk to Aunt Cass. We need to discuss a few things."

He nodded, eyes softening with gratitude at her understanding.

"Okay. See you in a bit."

Ayako spared him one last look, turning on her heel and returning down to the garage. A grimace grew on her face, knowing that they would have to talk about Callaghan's escape and how to stop him. The ex professor seemed to have a vendetta of his own and was out for blood on something...or someone.

She wasn't particularly looking forward to that little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: me, being the absolute trash I am, actually made an Aydashi AU which is a -ahem- BDSM AU (put your pitchforks away I know, they're not even doing the do yet and I've already written such a raunchy fic?)
> 
> Well I did, and now you know.
> 
> Anyway, I basically destroyed my feels because the fic isn't solely focused on the physical part of their relationship (it's really dramatic af and more healthy, romance-wise) and there was this part where she was admitting why she doesn't have a good relationship with her father and told him about the day that he left. Tadashi in turn told her about how he was the one to have caused his parents' death by his minute distraction and that he and Hiro were in the wrecked car when they died.
> 
> And idk, there were loads of ugly tears involved, plus I was listening to Aiden Hawken's 'Walking Blind' and that song with the scene was really getting to me.
> 
> I wish you all could read it, but I'm sort of hesitant to post it because of reasons.
> 
> Okay, ramble over. I hope you guys love this and please do review!


	31. Scheme of All Things

The shower gave him clarity and as he watched her walk away, he was overcome by a great sense of shame for how he had acted. He looked down at his palms, covered with callouses from years of assembling and dissembling robotic parts and thought of his professor's similar hands.

Callaghan had once joked that these were the testament to their dedication to their work.

He clenched his fists tightly and let them fall to his side, trying to control the burning rage in his chest. He had his doubts about his professor's death, recognizing that deep inside Callaghan's death seemed too vague, too enshrouded with darkness. He hadn't expected Callaghan to be the man behind the mask and the fire that had nearly robbed him of his life.

Tadashi also couldn't believe that he had been so willing to throw away his life for a man who didn't even think of his own. What would have happened had he ran in? Would he have seen Callghan? Would his professor had protected him with the microbots or left him to burn?

Aunt Cass walked into his sight, definitely not shocked like he expected. He saw her eyes well up with tears and she stalked over to him, pulling him into a deep embrace.

"Oh my God, I thought that you were gone," she sobbed.

"I'm fine, auntie, I really am," he reassured, patting her back. His aunt let go and swiped at her cheeks.

"What happened to you? Why didn't you come back? Were you mad?"

It took him a moment to realize that his aunt was genuinely worried that she had done something wrong to make him run away.

"N-No Aunt Cass, I didn't run away, I promise," he said, aghast. "I was..." He couldn't tell her that he had been held against his will by a deranged professor behind a mask that was controlling his brother's stolen invention.

"I was thinking of something. Spending a few days at a friend's place."

He anticipated the ear tugging he would get, just not this painful. His gasp of 'OW!' could have alerted Baymax from another region in San Fransokyo.

"Next time, tell me if you're going to disappear so I wouldn't have to launch a police report, okay?" Aunt Cass seethed. He winced and nodded, cupping his reddened ear.

"Sorry, Aunt Cass."

She pulled him into another hug, this time quick and letting go soon, heading back to her work with a short breath of, "teenagers," whispered to herself.

Despite her actions, Tadashi was glad he could see his aunt again. He was kept for so long in that forsaken cage that he had actually wondered if he would ever meet her again.

Making his way down to the garage, he could hear soft whispering from the whole team, planning and strategizing. Part of him couldn't believe that his friends had actually listened to his brother's crazy idea and donned super suits just to save him. The other part of him felt touched at how they were willing to do something incredibly mad just to save him.

Hiro, however...

He had a lot of things to hash out with his kid brother.

He took a seat beside Ayako who indicated his ear. "Tugging?"

Tadashi rolled his eyes and nodded. He snuggled closer to her and he half-wished that the others weren't here so he could pull her into his arms. Ayako was like a lifeline to him right now. She didn't judge after his breakdown, merely asking if he was okay, and he didn't once see a hint of fear in her gaze. Not like his friends, who were looking away, presumably to give him some space. But he could tell that they were shaken by his show of anger.

He found that he needed her non-judgement compassion right now.

Hiro glanced at him. "We were just talking and discussing going after Callaghan."

"Why?" To say he was surprise would be an understatement. Tadashi knew that his professor wanted revenge and would go so far as to kidnap him to make sure that he could achieve it. But why would his brother want to put himself in that position again? Hiro clearly understood the lengths Callaghan was willing to go through for his twisted little game of revenge.

"We don't think his plan extended to  _just_  kidnapping you," Hiro said with a grimace. Holding up a hard drive, he indicated towards their PC. "Honey found this from the survalliance camera recordings that she managed to swipe. We think it's more than that."

He placed the hard drive inside the computer and the footage appeared, clear as the day it was recorded. They could see Callaghan speaking to a female pilot, and they shared a hug. Tadashi frowned at that, but what quickly stole his attention was Krei launching the same female pilot into the portal that looked hauntingly familiar.

"Guys, it's the-"

"Same portal," GoGo said tersely.

A hush fell over them and before their eyes, the portal started destabilizing, shaking from its foundation and sending shockwaves of energy through the room, throwing everyone aside and destroying anything near it. Tadashi waited for everything to explode, to be sucked into the vortex.

In another frame, he made out Krei standing up, stumbling towards the lever he recognized as manually shutting down any failed experiments. Horror lodged deep within his throat as the S.F.I.T alumni pulled the lever down, effectively shutting off the portal. And trapping the female pilot in there.

Callaghan ran up the ramparts and grabbed Krei by the collar. He couldn't hear what they were yelling, but his old mentor was shaking from head to toe, rage as pure as anything he had ever seen written on his face.

The footage ended and they shared looks.

"Who was that?" Wasabi asked, looking around. The rest of the team shrugged, not having any answers. All of them except Tadashi.

"I think I know where he's going next," he whispered, eyes still glued on the screen even though it had gone dark.

"Where?" Hiro asked, probing. "Why? Do you know anything, Tadashi?"

He cleared his throat and nodded, crossing his arms. "That was Callaghan's daughter. He told me about her once, when he was delirious with sleep."

The young man remembered that day well enough. He had entered his professor's office on one of his usual all-nighters in the university and found him fast asleep. In a bout of compassion, he decided to rouse the older man awake and shook his shoulder.

Callaghan stuttered out a single name, before shifting back to sleep, oblivious.

Abby.

He turned to Ayako. "The code in the keypad you typed in to free me. What did it say?"

"2229," she replied with a frown. "I think it read ABBY."

"Oh my God."

"What? What's going on? What did you realize?" she asked, clearly worried when her boyfriend stared at the screen in horror.

"It's his daughter. The female pilot was his daughter."

Hiro wasted no time in replaying the clip and paused it, zooming in on the white uniformed-clad woman. Writing was inscribed on her helmet, and it read there, clear as day: Callaghan.

"This means that he was searching for revenge on Krei all those times," Fred said, putting two and two together. "But why the portal we saw there. Unless..."

"He's been rebuilding it to use on Krei as a form of punishment," GoGo finished, sharing a look with the Kaiju suited young man beside her.

"Krei has a function two days from now," Ayako said, remembering an article in the newspaper that stated the wealthy businessman was going to officiate the opening of a new building which he donated the land to. "Do you think he would strike then?"

"Depending if the place has a lot of cameras," Tadashi replied grimly.

"Media coverage will be there, I'm sure of that. It's Krei after all."

"Then he will," Tadashi finished, staring at all of them. The team appeared shaken, and he didn't blame them. The pieces were starting to fall together, and what didn't make sense then was completely logical now.

Tadashi had found out about the portal. He had questioned his professor. And Callaghan had taken him out of the way so he couldn't figure it out. He didn't know what was scarier: his professor's need for revenge or the fact that he had planned it out so well. Hiro's microbots were the cataclysm to rebuilding the portal and it was all Tadashi's fault that he had introduced his brother to Callaghan, good intentions aside.

God, he may have given Callaghan what he needed all along.

"He kidnapped you because you knew too much," Wasabi summed up, and Ayako glanced at him. He didn't have to look at her to see the horror inscribed on her face.

"We have to stop him," Tadashi said, firm in his resolution. "We have to stop him before it's too late."

"With you on that," Hiro said, grim in his new found position as leader of the group. "I'll adjust some of Baymax's upgrades and repair any armor that needs work."

"We'll help you on that," Wasabi offered, GoGo and Honey nodding.

Tadashi turned to stare at Ayako, wondering how he should put this. It was much to dangerous for her to be around them, not with the idea currently churning in his mind. He had to build something to stop his professor, too. Unfortunately, that something required rocket boosters and a helmet that could link him to his friends and brother.

"I know what you're going to say," she added quietly, unnoticed by the group who were immediately jabbering excitedly about the new upgrades. "And I can help."

"How?" His razor sharp attention was on her, focused with the intensity of a laser beam. They were in their little bubble of private conversation now.

"I have a friend who's a journalist and writing for the event. She owes me a favor and I can get in, in case Callaghan is dressed as a civilian."

"I doubt that, he would want to put on a show," Tadashi disagreed. "And what are you going to do once you meet him?"

She grinned, a slow, wicked snarl that made him slightly scared. "Fire at him with one of Hiro's stunning guns - don't look at me like that, your brother was the one who suggested that I take one." She shrugged, nonchalant.

"After all, I still haven't forgiven him for kidnapping you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love vindictive Ayako. I would just like to thank you all for your wonderful reviews so far and that it's always a nice pleasure to hear from each of you.
> 
> I'm pretty bummed out that this story would be ending soon (although I do have the sequel planned out hehehehehhahahahahhHAHAHAHAH)
> 
> and yeah
> 
> Please leave a review!


	32. I Can't Lose Him

Midnight blue swirls coalesced with a bright orange to build up the scenery for her next painting, a precursor to an idea that she was having in trying to show the contrasts in countries between night and day.

Ayako tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear and dipped her paintbrush in a container of murky water, watching the blue paint float around before disappearing into the murky water.

She felt a lot like the blue paint these days, lost in the dark waters that was their latest crime-fighting activity. There was always the nagging possibility, bullying and stealing her thoughts that she had made the wrong choice in encouraging her boyfriend to capture his rogue professor.

Ayako sighed and leaned back on her chair, appraising the painting which hung from the easel. In the background, punk music floated in through the speakers and the sun was streaming in through the windows. A perfect day for painting. But she was feeling none of it, focused instead on the unanswerable questions swirling in her mind.

She had half a mind to tell Tadashi that what he was doing was a mistake, that they didn't have to handle this and could just seek help from relevant authorities. Part of her wondered if he would listen to her. Tadashi was busy now in the garage, building a suit that he said would be able to fly if he tried hard enough.

A day had passed. Only a day. And yet it felt like an eternity.

Sighing, she set the paintbrush down, aware that she wouldn't be able to create much today. She debated on calling him, his words resonating in her mind: "I can't let you in the lab because you'll prove to be a distraction and I can't get any work done."

What did that even mean?

Growling to herself, she wiped her hands, standing up and stretching her sore muscles.

Exiting the room, she switched off the speakers and for the first time today, truly let her situation sink in. She had been putting this thought off for as long as she could. But there was no stopping it now.

The quiet of her house rang with lonesome vibrations, where she could hear creaking coming from upstairs, probably from her elderly Korean neighbor who tended to bang his walking stick on the ground when his favorite show was on.

She went to the kitchen, sitting down on the dining table and thinking to herself, her phone in hand. She could call him and say that she missed him. She could bribe him not to go. She could beg him to stop this and reconsider his options.

Tadashi was always rational and he would listen to her reasoning and fears. Right?

Her boyfriend, self-professed nerd who had never watched Lord of The Rings until meeting her, who was afraid of holding her too tight in case he hurt her, who had a soft spot for abandoned stray animals was going to be a fighter along with his brother and friends.

Try as she might and no matter how many times he comforted and reassured her, she would always be worried. What normal girlfriend wouldn't? She couldn't help but think of the 'what ifs' and 'maybes' if Callaghan got his hands on him. What then? Would the professor let him go? Ayako thought of the cage and shuddered. She wondered if Tadashi had an inkling that his fate would be even worse than a cage if Callaghan overpowered them.

There were other worse options.

The memory of the car chase and the drop in the ocean haunted her nightmares along with the fire, an additional wraith joining the haunted carnival that was her mind.

Callaghan had shown time and time again that he had no qualms killing a bunch of teenagers in cold blood for merely being at the wrong place and at the wrong time. What would happen if those teenagers actually defied him?

If she wasn't worried then, she was worried now. Biting down on her thumb nail, she picked up the phone and dialed his number, waiting for his answer. The phone rung for a long time and she was afraid that it would go to voice mail when a raspy voice answered.

"'Yako."

"Tadashi."

Even the sound of his voice made her miss him, wanting to be closer to him.

"I'm gonna drop by soon, need anything?"

He cleared his throat. "That's...not advisable." His tone turned apologetic. "I'm sorry Ayako but it's a mess and you could get hurt, I don't want that to happen to you."

And what about you on this little revenge spree to stop Callaghan? She nearly asked that.

"I'm coming anyway," she answered, stubborn and not willing to compromise.

He sighed and she could imagine him running a hand down his face. "Okay, okay. I can't stop you if you want to."

She nodded and put down the phone, not even saying goodbye.

Standing up, she hardened her resolve.

It was time to discourage her boyfriend from making a mistake that could cost him his life.

~~O~~O~~

He was in the garage, bent over some blueprints, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. Eye bags were heavy under his eyes and she could see the shadow of a stubble on his chin. Tadashi was immersed in the drawings that he didn't notice her walking in until she cleared her throat.

"Oh, hey," he said, jerking his head up. "Didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

Ayako hummed and walked up to him, standing beside to view the plans. It was a lot of complicated engineering gibberish and she didn't even try to understand.

Tadashi sighed and pinched his nose, exhaling slowly. "I'm so sorry for not seeing you for these past few days. I tried and-"

"I know, you're busy with the suit." She didn't even pretend to be interested in his work, preferring to figure a way out how to ask this of him when he was so obviously putting forth a lot of dedication to his work.

Ayako cleared her throat. "We have to talk."

He looked at her for the first time since she walked in, gaze intense. "Are you okay?"

"No," she said lightly, and she could see his mouth hardening into a thin line.

"What's wrong? Is it the nightmares?"

Ayako huffed and shook her head, every instinct in her body pushing her towards him, screaming out at her to seek his embrace and drown in it. She fought against it valiantly, but in the end, it was a dying fight. Like a house of cards that folded in the wind, she sank into his arms, burying her face in the material of his t-shirt that smelled faintly like lavender and sweat.

He appeared surprise, responding back a moment later. Wrapping his arms around her, he nuzzled her hair, and she could feel the silent question hanging in the air.

_What's wrong?_

"Don't do this," she whispered, loud enough that he could hear, but soft enough that he was the only person that was able to. "Please don't do this. I just got you back from Callaghan and now you're going to go after him again. I can't stand that, I-"

She took a deep breath, aware that her voice was starting to shake and tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes. "I can't lose you. Not again." Her voice broke on that last syllable and she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the tears trickling down her cheek.

First it was the fire, then Callaghan's kidnapping and now it was this. When will she ever be able to feel like she could keep him safe ever again?

Tadashi rubbed her back, placing soft kisses on her temple, arms tightening around her petite frame and rocking her slowly, like how her father once did when she was sick with worry over her mother's health. Masaki had been nauseous from a food poisoning and Ayako was too young to understand, crying hysterically because she thought her mother was going to die, having seen enough movies to remind her that mothers in hospitals were never a good sign.

Mikhail had held her and rocked her gently, soothing her instantly. Now Tadashi was doing the same, unknowingly mimicking her father's move and calming her.

"I know and I'm sorry," he whispered back, pressing his lips to the soft skin of her ear, where she could feel his every breath.

There was a 'but' in there somewhere.

"But I can't let him hurt anybody else, not anymore."

"Tadashi-"

"'Yako, I know you're worried and you have every right to be, but if we don't stop him now, who will?"

She lifted her head, wearing a glare. "The police? The army? The firefighters? They could handle it-"

"And get killed because they don't have the equipment to deal with a portal," he finished, cupping her chin with his free hand.

"I'm sorry," Tadashi said softly, brown eyes hazy with compassion, searching her face for a hint of hurt. "I really am. At least if anything happens I would be happy knowing you were safe-"

"Don't say that," she whispered harshly, breaking his grip, pushing him away and replacing his arms with hers.

"Ayako." The hurt was clear as day on his face and she felt sick. Ayako was already regretting her outburst, missing the warmth of his arms even if her skin hadn't lost his heat yet.

"You can't do this. If not for me then for Aunt Cass. What if the both of you get hurt? Who's going to take care of her? What happens if Hiro gets hurt, haven't you thought about that?" She was on a roll now, the words flooding like a broken dam. "And what about me? Did you even stop to think about me or were you too clouded with your hero complex to think that I may be worried, too? I know I've been incredibly patient and a part of me wishes I could remain ignorant but I can't.

"Callaghan has proven that he wouldn't hesitate to hurt barely legal adults and you're going to take that chance? I can't let you throw your life away, not like that ever again and-"

"Ayako, stop." He placed his hands on her shoulders, impending her torrent of words. "I know you're worried and I  _have_  thought of you. It's just that people would get hurt – innocent people, 'Yako – and I can't live with that knowledge that I could've helped them."

"Because you rather throw your life away than taking a more rational route," she said with a bitter laugh.

The silence that ensued could have been because of a bombing for all she knew.

"'Yako," he started, breathing ragged. "I know you're upset and-"

"No," she said simply. "No, you don't."

The petite artist turned back to look at him, crossing her arms over her chest, rubbing the bare skin for warmth. She wished she had brought a cardigan to ward away the chill of the night and the cold her words were sure to inflict.

"You don't know what it was like to be the receiving end of this, to worry with all your heart whether the person you care for the most is hurt. You don't know how many times I wanted to call it quits. I-I couldn't leave you after all that happened. I thought among all the people  _you_ would understand the most what nearly losing your life meant.

"I've nearly lost you too many times for my heart to handle and if this turns out to be one of those times..."

She trailed off, losing her steam, aware that his penetrating stare was focused on her while she couldn't even face him.

"I didn't sign up for this when I agreed to be your girlfriend, Hamada," she whispered softly, turning away and heading towards the door. He didn't try to stop her, rooted to the spot, mouth slightly agape, hands clenched together in tight disbelief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention I love angst?
> 
> Well, I fucking love angst.
> 
> Yes, this chapter is sort of a filler for the next one (which is where most of the action scenes start) but something was telling me that after what Ayako went through, she wouldn't be sold on the idea of Tadashi seeking out trouble. So, I had to include this scene and it was sort of a last minute thing.


	33. Put On Your War Paint

The dawn of Krei's officiating ceremony drew bright and bleary, sun rays shining on a young woman who had not slept a wink last night, too worried about what might happen today. The team had decided to meet up at the garage to test out their suits before flying there, Ayako traveling by herself using the trams that cut halfway through the city, and was a mere five minutes walk away from the new building. Glancing at her clock, she saw that she had less than an hour to get ready.

She got up and ran a brush through her waves, feet planted on the cool floor. Ayako rubbed her eyes and sighed, padding into the bathroom, intending to run a shower. The hot water felt good on her aching muscles and she ducked her head under the stream, letting the warm droplets cascade down her neck and hair. She wished that she could stay under here forever. Wrapping her arms around her torso, she enjoyed the warmth that had been missing from her soul for these past two days, imagining that she was in someone else's embrace other than her own.

Briefly, an image of Tadashi crossed her mind and her blood cooled. He hadn't called her up after their confrontation and she was teetering precariously on the tightrope between worry and nagging anxiety that she had pushed him away too far.

Switching off the hot water ruefully, she got out from the shower, wringing her hair dry and wrapping a towel around herself. Since this was going to be a formal event, she had to dress up for the occasion. Choosing one of her better tank tops, form-fitting jeans and brown cardigan, she dressed slowly, moving on to drying her hair and applying a light coat of makeup.

Her friend, Avery, had told her that she could come along as one of her partner's assistant, a man named Paul who would guide her along the way. To dress the part, they had given her a small DSLR which she knew how to work thanks to a photography lesson from Keiro.

Exiting her room, she found that Masaki had already left, the house echoing with her footsteps, the place holding an almost lonesome feel. The empty atmosphere mimicked the hollow void in her chest.

The day was brisk and starting to get warmer, yet a cool breeze picked up, the kind of chill that was perfect for a warm sweater and a cup of hot coffee. Her stomach rumbled and she vaguely remembered that she hadn't eaten yet, too wrapped up in the idea of today to fully function.

Reaching the cafe, she headed down to the garage, finding it open and light spilling out from the door crack. She glanced up at the pink skies swirled with hints of orange and took a deep breath.

She was really going to do this.

Slipping her media pass into her pocket, she pushed open the door, momentarily confused.

There was nobody here except for Tadashi who was polishing his armor, not even looking up when she stood by the threshold. The armor was a sleek silver, and looked almost identical to Baymax's except for the helmet that resembled GoGo's which she knew for a fact he had been consulting with when it came to the finer parts of the suit's design.

"Great, you guys are here, Hiro was just about to delegate..."

He looked up, probably startled by the lack of noise a group of superheroes were supposed to make, perturbed by the the tense quiet. The space had taken on a thickening quality, tension palpable.

She saw him do a double take when he found that it was her instead.

"'Yako, hey."

"Hi," she said simply and walked in, closing the door. The energy between them dropped in temperature, from the neutral sensation of expected order to the sub-zero of an awkward meeting.

He stood up and she could see that he was in a black t-shirt, probably to avoid the sight of grease stains, hair messy and ruffled from the lack of his baseball cap, dark circles presenting themselves like bruises under his eyes.

If it was possible, he looked even worse than yesterday.

"You...you look good."

She blushed and ducked her head, mumbling, "it's just the makeup."

Silence fell again. Where there once had been chatter, bickering and warm banter floating between them, there was now unspoken words and unintended hurt. Their state was as fragile as a glass when it once used to stand on a pillar of strength.

"Where are the others?" she asked, in an effort to change the topic.

"Not here yet. Couldn't sleep?"

She nodded, shocked that he had noticed. It was such a change from the past when he would be too traumatized to pay attention to her, and after Callaghan's kidnapping, things had just progressed for the worse. Tadashi had been too absorbed in his work to even talk to her, their once meaningful conversations reduced to terse monosyllables. It made her want to cry at the drastic change in their relationship.

"Yeah," she said softly.

He walked over, attempting to bridge the space between them. She had to crane her neck to look up at him, finding his expression drawn and morbid. It was inhumane, really, how easily she could feel his body heat from here, feel his vitality and every vibration his body was giving out. She was so aware of him, their sensations intertwined closely that she wondered whatever she was feeling could be a product of what he was feeling instead.

It appeared so as Tadashi reached for her, touching her cheek lightly, look of utmost regret filling his eyes, mimicking the regret lodged deep in her throat. "I don't want us to fight anymore. I'll apologize first if that means I can talk to you again. I miss you."

She leaned her head into his palm, and just like that, a night fraught with anger, tension and misdirected resentment was gone, replaced instead by a yearning for more of his touch, so strong that she had no choice but to forgive him.

Tadashi caught her in his embrace when she pitched forward, cheek pressed to his chest, over the steady thrumming of his heartbeat. She breathed in his scent, citrus and pine tainted with the pungent smell of diesel and smoke from soldering.

"I miss you, too and I'm so sorry."

"You have no reason to be sorry," he whispered, fervent. "None at all."

Leaning their heads together, she could feel every slight breath from his lips brushing on hers. Tension vibrated like a taut string, embracing them, and what she did next was inevitable. Ayako breached the close space and kissed him, pouring out all her worry and distress, emptying those toxic emotions onto his willing lips.

Tadashi's grip tightened around her waist and he kissed her back, sedating her poison, fingers tangling in her hair, messing up her careful work and angling her head so that he could reach more of her.

It was like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders, breathing becoming easier. She drank him in, heart trembling from the  _now_ , from the now that they were sharing; a now that was not filled with fear and pain, but with joy and of reassurance, despite how fleeting it may be.

Breaking the kiss, they took a moment to steady their breathing, foreheads still leaning against each other, reveling in the feel of their reignited love.

Her hand curled on his heart and she laid her palm flat, feeling the heat there radiating between her fingertips.

"I know you're worried and you have every right to be. But I promise I will come back in one piece to you," he whispered and she could smell coffee on his breath. Chuckling, she nodded, pressing one last kiss to his chapped lips.

"You better, Hamada. I would be pissed if you didn't."

He squeezed her waist, meaning to return her kiss when a loud throat clearing tore their attentions away. She was mortified to find the whole nerd team looking at her with expressions of smugness at having caught their two friends together.

"G-Guys, hi," Ayako stammered, quickly pushing herself away from him. Likewise, Tadashi was blushing, looking down at the ground, tips of his ears reddening.

"Oh come on, we all saw you," Honey said with an eye-roll and walked in, already in her Kevlar, the all black ensemble making her look like a cat burglar. Ayako wished her cover looked half as cool as that.

The rest of the teams were also dressed in their skin-tight black Kevlar, just waiting to attach their armor except for Fred. From what she knew, the school mascot didn't need that since his Kaiju suit would be able to protect him.

"Are we ready? Where's Hiro?" Wasabi asked. That was a good question.

"Having his breakfast and checking up on the power level in Baymax's thrusters," Tadashi answered.

Ayako felt a sliver of excitement, not present last night when she was up worrying. That time, it felt as if she were the only person in the world bearing the burden of watching her friends having to put themselves in danger. Now, she knew that there were all seven of them sharing the weight together with her and maybe, just maybe, they would be able to save the day.

~~O~~O~~

The event was jam packed with important people from all over San Fransokyo, from renowned architects to successful businessmen and women, high profile reporters and journalists flitting around freely. Ayako pushed up her plastic glasses that she used as part of her disguise, knowing that no one would recognize her but wanting to remain inconspicuous all the same. The journalist that she was with today was a friendly young man by the name of Paul Kato who was briefing her on the photos he wanted taken. He specifically mentioned getting a good shot of Krei and that would put her in the front line beside the other photographers.

She readjusted the communication link in her ear, under the simple guise of a Bluetooth and pressed the button that would allow her line to be clear to the others. She could hear their breathing, the steady flow of each and every one of them and knew that they could hear her shallow breaths too.

"You nervous?" Honey asked and she could hear the distortion in her voice probably caused by the wind.

"There are some really high profile people here tied to my university and some of them are alumnus that I have seen before. Of course I'm nervous. I just hope I remember the different aperture that I'm supposed to use cause my camera skills are pretty rusty."

Wasabi laughed. "You can do it. Anyway, do you see Krei anywhere?"

She scanned the groups of people, watching famous figures rubbing shoulders with each other, but no sight of the business tycoon.

"No, not at all."

A waiter glided past with flutes of champagne, offering one to her. She graciously took it, not having tasted the bubbly alcohol before.

"Whoo, free champagne."

"Ugh, stop reminding us that you got the most glamorous job," GoGo complained and Tadashi chimed in with a, "yeah."

She laughed and took a sip, making a face at the taste. Ayako didn't know why this drink was so hyped up in media when it tasted like carbonated cough medicine. "Trust me," she said with a little wheeze, setting the flute of golden liquid down. "It tastes horrible."

"You'll get used to it," Fred said and she heard him utter a curse.

"What happened?"

"Nearly got hit by a pigeon." She fought not to smile at that.

The rest of the team was moving down here on Baymax, Tadashi flying by himself now that his suit was completed. Ayako was initially worried that the suit he designed would malfunction on him since he only had a few days at best to perfect it but was gladdened to know that it managed to take flight and keep her boyfriend safe after a few tries.

"How's the suit holding up?" she muttered, adjusting the lens of her camera as the announcer stepped on stage.

"Fine," Tadashi replied. "We're passing by the SF train station and would be three minutes from the new building. Is Krei on yet?"

In the background, the presenter greeted the guests and announced that today would be a historic day, thanking everyone for their support and attendance. "And now, for the moment you've all been anticipating, a welcoming speech from our beloved benefactor, Mr. Alistair Krei."

"Guys, he's on," she whispered and nodded when Paul indicated that she get up in the front. Ayako didn't hesitate, readying her camera and pressing the flash button, joining a hundred other cameras, the brief brightness starting a conflagration in her mind filled with dark spots that she had to blink out.

Krei walked on stage, immaculate in a well fitting navy suit and a flute of champagne in hand, looking at ease with the crowd.

"When the architect for this building, Jack Kobe, told me that we would be building a center dedicated to the fostering of bio-eco ties with different countries, I told myself, 'now there's something that I could work with'."

Ayako zoned out, snapping photo after photo of Krei, the shuttering sound like the blinking of a mechanical eye.

She snapped her gaze around, noting nothing out of the ordinary and hissed down the line, "guys, are you sure Callaghan will be here? I see no sign of him."

"Just wait, we'll be there," Hiro said.

She took a deep breath. "Okay. Just be here in time. I don't think I could keep my cover safe if I had to stun him with one of your guns." The weapon in question was in her satchel, safety on so she didn't accidentally shoot herself.

Her father had once took her to a shooting range for a tryout station and Ayako found that she was actually pretty accurate with a gun. Over the years, she had taken sporadic classes for shooting but soon found her attention waning. She hoped that her skills with the gun were still intact as in the case of her photography. She had to be deadly accurate for both if she wanted to protect the people here and keep her identity safe; hoping that if her cover was blown she wouldn't be labelled as a terrorist. Then Masaki would have bigger problems on hand than a wayward daughter who had a tendency to sneak out and didn't update her on where she was.

Krei was halfway into his speech, riveting the people's attention. She surveyed the space, aware of Paul's eyes on her, the young man glancing at her while he diligently recorded Krei's message on his holographic recorder.

Ayako flushed and pretended to fiddle with her camera, waiting for the first sign of Callaghan. A scream, maybe a gasp as someone noticed him.

Her heart was thudding a mile a minute and she wondered if James Bond had ever felt like this on a mission. Mind sharpening, she was aware of cold sweat dripping down her neck, palms damp with nerves. She wiped her hands on the material, shaking them loose and lifting the camera up, circling it so that she would have a wider angle of the crowd for Paul.

Looking into the lens, she zoomed in the borders, eyes widening when she saw a cloud of black rising in the distance. Zooming nearer, she could see a red Kabuki mask, Callaghan lifting his hand and...

The first wave of microbots crashed into the crowd like a dark nightmare, scattering the guests who screamed and yelled in panic. The whole place was thrown into a disarray, people shrieking and running, diving for cover. The microbots upturned the buffet tables, tossed people aside, some of them landing into the ostentatious fountain set in the middle of the ceremony.

Krei had stuttered to a stop in the middle of speech, eyes wide. Ayako ducked for cover under a fallen table, glasses slipping from the sweat slicked bridge of her nose. She discarded the camera and satchel, hefting out the small shotgun and clicking the safety off. The bullets, Hiro had reassured her, would merely stun and not kill, affecting the nerves and leaving the victims unresponsive for a measurable amount of time.

Perfect for stopping a masked maniac hell bent on revenge for the negligent death of his daughter.

From the distance, she heard calls for reinforcements, guards lifting out their guns and firing at the microbots, the action barely causing a difference to their advance. The weapon was weighty in her hands and she took a shaky breath, ignored by an obese richly dressed woman who tottered on her way too tiny heels, never noticed by anyone under her makeshift defense.

Callaghan seemed to float on the cloud of microbots, the tiny black drones skittering all over the place like a mass of mechanized spiders. He approached like the harbinger of death and destruction, the fourth henchmen on his horse of neurotransmitted minions with one intent in mind. He seemed to glide up the stage, raising a hand, the mass of microbots swirling around the escaping form of Krei, holding him prisoner.

She watched, wide eyed as Callaghan lifted the businessman off his feet and brought him face to face. The mask slid open and she saw him snarl at Krei, eyes narrowed in anger. She couldn't hear what they were saying but she knew what had to be done.

Taking aim, she squeezed on eye shut, trailing the barrel on Callaghan's chest, wishing she had a radar to produce a more accurate shot. Finger on the trigger, she would've taken a shot had a rocket fist not come sailing and splice through the microbot limb holding onto Krei, momentarily stunning Callaghan and letting him drop the business tycoon.

She looked up, relieved to see the rest of the team descending from the skies and onto the fight, immediately engaging with Callaghan.

"Did you see the portal?" Wasabi yelled through the comms and she made out a small grunt of pain that sounded like Fred's.

"No," Ayako replied, unsure of who he was talking too but replying all the same. "I didn't see anything."

She spoke too soon. From the horizon, she made out another wave of microbots bringing forth the portal, newly remodeled and humming with energy. She didn't know what science juice was powering up the wormhole creator, but she knew that they needed to stop it.

"Guys, the portal!"

"I see it," Tadashi yelled, and she saw him execute a midair somersault, landing a shot of energy blast at the professor, shaking him off his target at GoGo.

The fight was heating up; Callaghan was subduing the team, trapping GoGo and Honey in a microbot cage while pushing two slabs of concrete between Wasabi. Fred was continually thrown off his feet, Callaghan blocking his every attempt at jumping midair and attacking him with his flaming fire breath. Columns of microbots hindered Hiro and Baymax in mid-flight and Tadashi was suffering from the same fate.

Ayako tread lightly, gun at the ready and trying to get as close as she could to fire a bullet at him.

Callaghan happened to look up at the moment, confused at the sight of a civilian willingly in the conflict zone when he caught sight of the gun. She screamed as a wave of microbots knocked her off her feet, gun flying and clattering somewhere behind her. The bots pinned her down in place and she struggled to shake them off, but they only pushed down further, hurting her wrists. A cry of pain was wrenched from her throat and she could hear Tadashi at the other end.

"'Yako! What happened? Are you hurt?"

"He's got me pinned down by the microbots," she grunted and moved to lift her feet off the ground, thinking that it might dislodge the tight hold.

"Hang on, I'm coming - oh crap."

She looked up and saw a column of microbots rising from the ground, swirling around her boyfriend's form.

Hiro cried out when the bots wrenched him from the sky, Tadashi not being fast enough to escape their clutches and save his brother.

Like a pin drop in a sealed vacuum, Tadashi went free-falling, body rushing to meet the ground, gaining acceleration as his body rushed to meet the ground.

"Tadashi!" she yelled, struggling harder.

A blur of red zoomed by and he was swooped from the sky, on the back of Baymax. She whimpered in relief and twisted her head, catching sight of a glint of silver under the wreckage of champagne and wine bottles. Her gun.

"Guys, we need to think of a new angle for this," Hiro sounded through the comms, breathless and agitated at the same time. "We need to-"

Somehow, Callaghan had managed to activate the portal and gravity seemed to lost its meaning for a moment, her body lifting up from the ground, microbots dispersing. Ayako scrambled, grabbing her new found freedom and held onto the edge of the water fountain, water droplets rising from the monument and rushing up into the portal. Debris of every kind was sucked into there, like dust into a vacuum cleaner.

"Guys, the portal!" Honey shrieked. Ayako peeled her eyes open against the rushing water, catching a deep breath when the last of it was absorbed into the sky, leaving her gasping and soaking wet.

"Okay, think of a way how to get out," Hiro said urgently as he flew towards Callaghan. "Use those big brains of yours to think of a situation."

It was easy for him to say, he wasn't in the direct target of the portal.

"'Yako, get out of here, don't engage. I repeat, do not engage Callaghan."

She grunted and, using a Herculean amount of strength, slowly edged her way around the fountain's side, finding the safe side, gravity returning back to normal. Ayako took a moment to breathe and dived forward for her gun. Taking aim, she deliberately disobeyed Hiro's order and fired a shot at Callaghan. The bullet missed the distracted maestro of conflict for a moment, his microbots faltering now that his mind was elsewhere.

"Guys, now!"

With the microbots distracted, she saw Fred jump up and shoot a blast of heat at Callaghan, the older man covering his face from the worse of the impact. She swore she could've heard his grunt of pain from a mile away.

Wasabi cut through the floor of the building, escaping the microbots and she saw Honey breaking her way out from the cage of bots using one of her chemical balls. GoGo burst out from a similar restrain and quickly ran towards Callaghan, cutting down any adversity she faced.

Her minute distraction had freed the team and she was about to sling a new shot when the portal started humming and more debris flew around, rapidly being sucked into the wormhole.

"Guys, the portal is destabilizing," Tadashi said from somewhere in the air, avoiding the solid materials shooting at a rapid pace with precise concentration.

From behind him, a huge fist made of microbots came sailing towards the two brothers, and Ayako, Honey and Wasabi barely yelled out a warning when the fist swung, throwing them into the the windows of a nearby building. Ayako held her breath and watched with fearful eyes, hand holding the gun going limp.

There was a pause, like the The building remained quiet and Callaghan seemed to nod in satisfaction, going back to his plan and searched around for Krei, the millionaire hiding in discrepancy now that his life was in danger.

Ayako shuddered a deep breath, whispering, "Tadashi? Hiro?"

There was no answer.


	34. In The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zomg I am so sorry for the late delay in this update. I just started university and have been laptop-less due to a technical malfunction and I'm just so sorry that it took so long.
> 
> Pls. Forgive me.

Tadashi groaned as he shifted himself from under the broken glass, putting a hand to his pounding head.

"Tadashi? Hiro? Do you copy?" The frantic voice of Honey shot him awake and he blinked, looking around. His brother was in a similar heap like him, rousing from unconsciousness. He squinted and found that they were in a low light building, the place deserted probably by the order of the police. Office desks were in disarray and fallen plaster littered the space.

"Where's Baymax?" Hiro said groggily, sitting up.

"He must've fell to the ground when Callaghan used the microbots to knock us out of thin air." Tadashi tapped on the comms in his helmet, finding the one with Baymax's signal darkened. The rest of the team were still holding off Yokai and he couldn't see Ayako in any of their feed.

"Baymax? Buddy, you there?"

"Oh thank goodness, you're well," Honey said and he could hear Ayako gasp.

She didn't say anything else, keeping them updated on what was happening below ground. "Guys, I told Krei to find some shelter and stay low for a moment. Where are you?"

It took him a moment to realize that she was talking to him. "In the office building. Disorientated. Give us a sec."

He revved up his rocket boosters and found that they were still working. Lifting himself off the ground, he gestured to Hiro, offering his back where his little brother jumped on, piggy back style.

Baymax's feed came back to life and he could see the robot blinking. "Baymax, buddy, you're okay." He hadn't meant to sound so relieved, a small burden lifting off his chest now that he knew his creation wasn't hurt.

"Tadashi. Where is Hiro?"

"Here, big guy," Hiro quipped, ducking from a dangling lamp as his big brother shot out from the destroyed office and out into open air.

"My sensors have indicated and pinpointed your location. Please wait for me to find you."

Tadashi hovered in midair, worried that he was exposing himself and Hiro to Callaghan's wrath. He didn't have to worry much. A red dot from the distance grew bigger and Baymax flew by, stopping in front of both brothers.

"Hello."

"Hey, Baymax. Hiro, you wanna trade for Baymax?"

He nodded and jumped off Tadashi's back, landing safely on the robot's wide back where his magnetic gloves and boots connected him once again to his mechanical friend.

"Now come on, let's go save the day."

Propelling himself down, Tadashi aimed at the column of microbots supporting Callaghan, his friends having found a way to stop the attacks by cutting down the microbots and letting them be sucked into the portal. GoGo was madly splicing through them with her speed, Honey with her chemical balls and colorful explosions. Wasabi and Fred worked together to break through the block of microbots from the base, the bots disintegrating into individual pieces, floating up into the portal.

Streams of microbots shot around the area, like limbs from a mythical monster, twisting this way and that, trying to stop the team. Wide-eyed, she saw the team working in synchronization as they cut down the bases of the bots, everything moving in slow motion, chemical balls flying, explosions brushing across her face, hair whipping around her face from the force of the portal. Wasabi's lazers were a blue blur, Fred's fire arching over the team, GoGo zipping around like a lightning bolt, unidentifiable to the naked human eye.

Baymax and Hiro were zipping through the skies and debris, avoiding huge chunks of metallic frames and rushing framework, the nursebot an expert at deflecting them. Tadashi was busy by his side, swirling around the sky like a dizzying jet, disabling every single one of the microbot streams and protecting his brother, the microbots like dust motes that were hurtling through the portal.

It was overwhelming. It held a certain artistic beauty to it.

Callaghan was outnumbered and outmatched, the microbots limited enough that they couldn't do his bidding and when he lifted his hand up, none of them came to his call.

He growled, vunerable now and the team knew it. They advanced towards him, ready to disable the masked lunatic. Ayako raised her gun when she saw that Callaghan was not done yet with his little charade of destruction. From his coat pocket, she saw a detonator, which was sure to destabilize the portal even more and cause a mass wipeout of the city she had grown to love.

Ayako didn't even know she was rushing forward until she was skidding on the ground, gun raised up high, entering the red zone of conflict, Fred beside her churning up a new breath of fire, ready to hit Yokai, knowing that the moment his finger landed on the controller, this city would be up in a different dimension.

She had to do it. Muttering a quick prayer, she unlocked the safety from her stunning gun and aimed it at the professor. "Please, please let me have my aiming skills with me," she whispered, hoping that someone or something above would hear her request.

She fired from the gun, the bullet shooting like a torpedo, swiftly lodging itself from the barrel and harrowing straight towards the ex-professor. Holding her breath, heart thumping slow in the cavity of her chest like a living breath fighting through a cascade of sticky molasses; all her hopes and determination were hinged on that single bullet.

The bullet careened towards Callaghan, hitting him square in the chest. The older man heaved in a deep breath, freezing as the chemicals worked in his system. Pitching forward, Callaghan fell from the tower of microbots that he had constructed and straight into the battle ground. Fred jumped up, propelling high in the air and caught the professor's ankle, saving him from a bone crunching drop.

GoGo zipped fast and came to a stop beside her, screen of her helmet 'whooshing' back and showing her grim smile. "Great job, 'Yako."

She nodded, too shaken up by what had just happened to say anything.

They had just stopped Callaghan. They had managed to save the city.

The speed junkie's expression changed from one of triumph to horror as Ayako heard metal hinges screeching. The portal was emitting sparks now, on the road to destruction.

"Crap. Hamada, the portal! What should we do?"

"We just let it be!" Hiro's voice cracked through the comm. "It has taken too much of a load and will close off by itself. Find something solid and hold on to it."

Ayako reached out and grasped onto a street lamp that had not yet been unhinged from the ground, GoGo following her lead. The rushing force of the portal tore at her clothes and threw her hair into disarray, stealing her shriek when a tray nearly flew into her face had it not been for her alerted reflexes. The wind stung her eyes and she closed them, squeezing them shut and praying once more that everything would be okay.

"I am sensing a life in the portal." Baymax's calm voice cut through the panic. Ayako's eyes snapped open.

Honey, who was being held close by Fred who was also grasping onto Callaghan's coat said urgently into he comm, "are you sure?"

"Abigail," Wasabi muttered, voicing the thought that everyone was having right now.

"I'll go get her," the teen leader said calmly. "Baymax will be able to power the rocket thrusters and save her."

"No!" Tadashi protested. "I'll go get her."

"Your suit is not highly powered enough to provide a strong momentum," Hiro countered. "Baymax would be far more suited for this."

"I am not letting you go in!"

"I have to!"

"You don't have to do anything, Hiro," Tadashi snarled and she looked up, finding the brothers floating in front of each other, presumably voicing their standoff.

"You always said to use my big brain for the better good and now I am!"

"I can't lose you!" Ayako gnawed down on her lower lip when his voice broke. "You're all the family I have left. I can't lose you."

"You won't," Hiro reassured. "Now stop wasting time arguing with me and let me go."

"Baymax," Tadashi said, relenting, "take care of him, okay. Those are new treatment orders."

"Yes, Tadashi," the nursebot said obediently. "I will take of my patient as best as I can."

Her head snapped up at the sight of Baymax and Hiro somersaulting into the portal. Hiro's breathing was steady and Ayako wandered what could have caused him to be this heroic and saving someone who's father had put his brother's life in danger more than once.

 _He's growing up_ , she realized morosely, awaiting the first signs that their leader had managed to bridge through the wormhole and into the connected tunnels of the next dimension. Hiro was doing this because he was following Tadashi's lead and both brothers were too damn heroic for their own good. It would be incredibly ironic if Hiro would have been missing in that portal and his last actions to his brother were exactly the same as Tadashi's previous ones in front of a flaming building.

 _No,_  she chastised herself.  _Don't think that way._

"Hiro, are you in?" Tadashi said tersely, flying around in a circle, working through the stress.

"Y-Yeah."

Everyone exhaled in relief and cast their eyes to the portal that was starting to whir.

"What do you see?"

Hiro breathed deeply, and chuckled once. "Everything."

Ayako frowned and adjusted her comm, sure that she had heard him wrong.

"There's oxygen in here and everything's in limbo. It's all pink and purple, like the inside of a cotton candy machine."

"That's great, but can you locate Abigail's pod?" GoGo asked, grounding them all once again.

"Scanning commencing," Baymax said and she could hear a soft buzzing. "The portal is into the left of this inter-dimension bridge."

Inter-dimension bridge. God, she couldn't wait to tell Lucy this. The red head wouldn't have believed a single word she said.

"We found her!" Hiro's triumphant announcement caught her attention and she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Good, now can you get her out?"

It was unbelievably stressful, waiting and wandering how their young leader was doing, having nothing to give a mental picture except his short words and minute descriptions.

"Baymax is attaching his rocket thrusters to the Abigail's pod right now as we speak."

"She's in a state of deep slumber. I scanned her and her heart appears to be still beating," Baymax chimed in.

"Oh my god, how long was she stuck in there?" Honey whispered.

"Never mind that," Tadashi bit out and she could positively feel the worry lacing his tone and drenching it with his impatience and fear. "Can you get out? The portal is looking worse for wear."

The metal lining was starting to disintegrate, being sucked into the wormhole.

"Hiro, hurry," she whispered.

A grunt. "I know, I know. The pod is heavy and -  _No, Baymax!_ "

She could hear a loud screeching, whining in her ear, grating on her eardrums with a painful metallic break and one feed disappeared.

"What's happening?" Tadashi said, panicking. "Hiro?!"

"Baymax g-got hit by a huge car and his armor is broken. Wait, what did you say?"

All was silent except for Hiro's ragged breathing.

"N-No," he said and knew he was shaking his head. "I-I can't leave you here, Baymax. Y-You're coming back."

"I know it makes sense Baymax, but we need to get out of this t-together."

Silence descended again and she could hear Hiro's ragged breath deepening.

He gave a staggering sob. "N-No don't say that, please. You're more than just a nursebot, you're my best friend. You were there when I was so afraid...so worried and...please, come on, we can do this, Baymax-"

Ayako was horrified and worried at the same time. It appeared Baymax was hurt in some way and was asking Hiro to go on without him.

"No, I'm not leaving w-without you...I-I...we'll find a way and you'll be okay, we..."

Those ten seconds in between Hiro's words were the longest seconds in her life.

"...okay. Okay, I'll miss you Baymax, I'll-"

"Hiro," Tadashi whispered, broken too, knowing that his creation was going to be destroyed. Ayako flashed back to the moment when she met Baymax, when the white robot being a source of comfort and way for them to get Tadashi back.

"Okay." His voice was clogged with tears and Ayako felt her heart clench in pity. "I am satisfied with my care."

She hung her head, feeling the loss already swimming in her chest. The loss of a fellow comrade.

For a moment all was silent, everyone waited with baited breaths, eyes glued to the now vibrating portal. Anyone could see that something bad was about to happen and that something big was on the verge of being realized.

Nothing, and then...

A pod shot out, along with a small figure attached to it. The portal, having realized that it has lost one of its most precious cargo, started shaking with rage, like a foaming angry beast and gave one last upheaval of energy before going quiet.

The silence fell like a muffling rag, ringing like a siren in her ears. Everything was deathly quiet, so quiet she could hear her own ragged breathing and the rapid thrumming of her heart. Slowly, the team came back to life, letting go of their anchors and walking towards the pod that was thirty feet away, eyes stuck on the figure of a young teenage boy hanging his head.

Hiro had disabled his comm and she knew it was because he didn't want the rest of them to hear the aftermath of his loss. Baymax was nowhere to be found.

Tadashi practically tossed himself to the ground, removing is helmet and running towards his baby brother.

The rest of them came to a stop, forming a small circle around the pod, hesitant of what to do next. Ayako hadn't felt this raw ever since she discovered her father's missing paintbrushes and  _matryoshka_  dolls, his work desk empty and bereft.

"Baymax?" Wasabi asked in a hushed tone. Hiro looked up, and her heart broke when she saw his lower lip trembling, despite his brother's hand on his shoulder. She knew for a fact that among all of them, Hiro was closest to Baymax, having sought the robot's comfort to sooth him during those nerve-wrecking few weeks of Tadashi's disappearance. And now his best friend was gone.

Sorrow descended upon all of them, adrenaline running low.

The silence here was more deafening than any portal could ever produce out of cold revenge.

It was the sound of loss.

~~O~~O~~

The authorities came by to clean up the mess a moment after, the team leaving Callaghan in the midst of the rubble, detonator in hand to show who was responsible for all this destruction. Ambulance sirens sounded in the distance and Ayako knew that Abigail would be in safe hands.

They watched from a good distance away, on of top a building that they managed to climb, waiting for Heathcliff to come and pick them up.

"We did good today," he whispered and she looked up to find him beside her, eyes stuck on the scene below. Ayako followed his gaze and saw the destruction unfolding before her like the events in an apocalypse. Buildings were destroyed, smoke rising in thick plumes from the remnants of Honey's explosion balls. The new building was almost annihilated, with the fountain the only thing still standing, producing a thin stream of water from where the pipes must have been destroyed.

"Yeah," Ayako said in spite of all the things she had just witnessed. "Yeah, we did."

Sneaking a look at the brooding teen at the far side of the roof, she nodded her head towards him. "H-How's Hiro doing?"

Tadashi's grimace deepened, if that were possible. "Shaken, but he'll be okay. Baymax's sacrifice was unexpected."

She hung her head at the thought of the missing white nursebot, his body floating somewhere in oblivion. Was he still conscious in that vast artificial intelligence that was his programing? No, Hiro would never do something this cruel to a friend. She was sure that he had deactivated Baymax's every system before being propelled out of the wormhole on the last juices of the robot's rocket thruster.

She took a shaky breath. "He helped us a lot, you know?"

Tadashi nodded in her periphery, understanding. "I know. I miss him, too. He stopped me from committing something I was sure to regret."

"He saved us on numerous accounts," she recalled the ocean when she said this. "And he was always the one who gave us hope when we had none to find you. I wish I took more time to have gotten to know him the way how Hiro did."

Tadashi said nothing, and there  _was_  nothing to say.

In the distance, chopper blades sounded. Everyone perked up, and sure enough, the shape of a helicopter was slowly making its way towards them, Ayako already anticipating the strong wind currents coming from the chopper blades, shivering when it reminded her of the same energy currents that the portal emitted right before it destroyed itself and trapping a gentle nursebot in another dimension.

"Come on," Tadashi said softly, and his arm wrapped around her waist, armour cold against her soaked blouse. She craned her neck to look up at him, seeing his expression soften with tired weariness.

"Let's go back home."

Home had never sounded this good.


	35. New Horizons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it, the last chapter of Our Sutures! It's been an amazing ride this past year with you guys and I can't thank you all enough for the support you all have shown for this story (it has one of the highest ranking of reviews for any of my stories, EVER.)
> 
> Now, for an important announcement:
> 
> I have already decided that Ayako and Tadashi's story is not over and would soon be releasing the sequel titled 'Exit Wounds' which would be out sometime this week (it's still in the editing stages). I would highly appreciate it if you guys would show the continuation mad love like what you did with the first story :)
> 
> Do leave a review and don't hesitate in telling what you love from this story!

Her mother could only gape at her when she arrived at their doorstep, coated in dust, in damp clothing and covered in a thin veil of weariness that was obvious even from a mile away.

"Ayako?"

"Hey, mom," she said and rubbed her eyes, removing a small speck of dust there. "How's it going?"

"What...What happened?" Masaki's words caught, gaping with astonishment.

"Didn't you hear the news?" she asked. Her mother still hadn't allowed her in.

Masaki shook her head, unsure of what to say. "No, I didn't."

"Could I come in first?" she asked, weary.

Her mother seemed to have noticed that she was still hanging outside the threshold and shifted aside, her daughter trudging in and leaving mud stains on the floor. Ignoring the mess, Masaki turned to look at her.

"Okay, now tell me what happened."

"A masked man attacked and tried to suck the whole place up into a portal that was actually a wormhole to another dimension because he was mad at the main benefactor - Alistair Krei –- for putting his daughter's life in danger. I got caught in the crossfire but managed to escape and I think Paul is never going to let me work for him again because I left his DSLR under a pile of rubble."

Masaki's mouth fell open in shock. Her mother took a moment to absorb it all in, struggling for words to depict how stunned she was at the things she had just told her. The only thing Masaki could muster was, "Ayako this is not a sci-fi film."

And her daughter could only shrug, going, "that's what I kept telling myself the whole time."

~~O~~O~~

The atmosphere in the cafe was relaxed and the whole team was hanging around, enjoying fresh cups of coffee courtesy of Aunt Cass. Ayako was seated in between Tadashi and Fred, the latter entertaining them with the story of how he found out his dad was actually a superhero.

Wasabi snorted. "Come of it. Your old man? A superhero?"

"That's what I thought, too," Fred said, excited. "I mean, I told myself dad couldn't be but then when I thought it over, it seemed incredibly possible,  _mi amigo_. He could've had an old team way back then. I just need to search for their name in some comic books."

"Sounds fake," GoGo added dryly, leaning on Wasabi's shoulder, much to the bigger man's surprise.

Ayako snickered. "We've seen weirder things, GoGo. There could be a possibility."

"Yeah," Tadashi added and they both shared a glance. Realizing who was missing, she voiced out, "hey, where's Hiro?"

Tadashi shrugged and became brooding, brown eyes stormy. "I don't know. He hasn't come out of the garage since the" -he couldn't bring himself to say it- "and he's been preoccupied with school work."

Ayako took his hand, lacing her fingers with it. He offered her a small smile and she squeezed his hand, silently giving him her support.

"Give him some time," she said softly, going unnoticed by everyone except him.

"Ooh, we just have to take a photo," Honey Lemon squealed as she whipped out her phone, breaking the moment between them. He grasped her hand gently and let go, shifting his cap, much to her amusement.

"Why?" Fred asked, purplexed.

"Because this is our first sit-down as a team," she reasoned and beckoned everyone to come closer. Ayako adjusted her hair and beamed up into the camera, Honey quickly snapping a few pictures.

They leaned back, Honey sharing the phone between them so that they could all check the quality.

Ayako took a moment to breath in and relax. There were no more threats as far as she was concern, except for the looming date of her scholarship project and she could take a moment and enjoy the present; the smell of coffee hung rich in the air, the machine that Tadashi and Hiro invented whirring happily in the back, chatter drifting from the other patrons in the background. With a pang of amusement, she wondered when their lives had went from sharing their ideas and creations with one another to surviving life threatening missions together.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" she asked in quiet voice, and he glanced at her, smirking.

"I recall," he said. "You looked beautiful in your paint splattered jeans and I thought to myself 'my God, you couldn't be anymore perfect' until you accidently showed me your drawings."

She ducked her head, blushing. "I was beating myself up the whole night for messing up in front of you. I wanted to make a lasting impression... just not like that."

"It worked," he hummed and she stuck her tongue out at him."

Ayako sighed. "How did we get here?"

"Yeah," Fred said in a faraway voice. "How did we get here?"

"By the tram?" Wasabi teased to the chuckles of the rest of the team. "What else did you expect since my car is still in the bottom of the ocean."

"I'll ask Heathcliff to get that for you," Fred promised, a little sheepish although the chase wasn't his fault.

"Down in the ocean?" Tadashi quirked a brow.

"We'll tell you later," Honey said.

"Is there anything Heathcliff can't do?" Ayako asked, impressed by the butler's arsenal of knowledge. He could fly a helicopter, make amazing lemonade and now he knew how to extract cars from the bottom of the ocean?

Fred scrunched his face up, deep in thought. "I think he once burned a whole batch of mac 'n' cheese. That was the first time I ever saw him lose his cool."

"Figures," Ayako said with a small shake of her head.

Just then, Hiro came walking down the stairs, joining his brother and friends. He had donned a S.F.I.T hoodie, and she wondered if school merchandise was a staple of the Hamada brother's wadrobe.

"Hey, guys," he greeted warmly.

"Hey, Hiro," they echoed and stood up, ready to head to their college. Ayako planned to follow them on tram as her university was just a short way from theirs.

"Come on, or we'll be late for class," Tadashi voiced, downing his cup of coffee.

They all bid goodbye to Aunt Cass and both the Hamada brothers turned around to give her a last hug. Ayako knew that since the events of the fire and the kidnapping that they had grown to cherish their aunt more than they already did and would subtly reassure her that they would be coming back home.

The tram ride was pleasant, the team chatting on and Ayako's fingers linking with his, the two of them talking to other people yet remaining connected in what little way they could. Her heart thrummed with a joy that she had never felt before, strong yet pleasant at the same time, like happiness that a person would experience when they had just spent a day at the beach, tired yet content.

She treasured it, embedded it in her mind, reassuring herself that all those days of locked doors, angry music and pent up emotions would no longer trail behind her like a cold shadow and she was free to finally live.

It was amazingly ironic how it took two instances of nearly dying to make her feel this alive. But her life was always filled with ironies, anyway.

~~O~~O~~

Like now when her mother had just dropped the biggest bomb in her life, leaving her staring at the older woman with wide eyes and an opened mouth.

"Close your mouth, Ayako, or a fly would enter," Masaki said, amused.

"W-What?"

She pinched herself to make sure she was not dreaming, that action earning a small chuckle from her usual stoic mother. Ayako didn't know what was more surprising, the fact that her mother had just laughed or that she had just given her express permission to go down to Russia.

"You heard what I just said."

"B-But why?" Ayako couldn't wrap her head around it. Just last week Masaki was adamant that she couldn't go down to Russia and meet her father. Now, she was telling her that she had jusy booked a flight ticket for her and the plane would leave in a week's time.

Masaki lifted her shoulders, and was that a sparkle of mischief in her mother's gaze?

"I know that you've been...unhappy and that the stress of school and being in danger twice was starting to take a toll on you. I thought you needed a change of scenery and Russia was the best place that I could think of. But I have my own conditions."

Ayako settled back in the seat, sobering up from her shock. "Shoot."

"One, the trip will be shortened to two weeks and two, that you will always update me on where you go; call me at least once a day and for God's sake, don't get yourself into trouble again."

She knew her mother was referring to the Krei building incident and mentally winced at the reminder.

"And I'll give you some money to bring back some vodka - distilled one, because I haven't been able to get my hands on-"

Masaki's words were cut off when Ayako embraced her mother, choked up at the opportunity that she was giving the young woman. Russia was so tangible and she had harbored secret hope that her mother would let her go. Ayako had even started saving in case her mother said 'yes' but was low on sufficient funds.

"Thank you, thank you," she whispered and felt Masaki rubbing her back tentatively.

"You're welcome?"

Ayako couldn't help the small laugh at the words that sounded like a question, recognizing then that no matter how much people said she resembled her father the most, she would still be her mother's daughter. They even accepted gratitude the same way.

"Thank you, mom," she said, eyes and throat welling up with emotion. "Thank you so much."

~~O~~O~~

"Russia? Really?" Tadashi was giving her a wide smile and he laughed, wrapping her in a side embrace.

Ayako giggled and nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I know, right? I couldn't believe it myself when she told me that."

"That's great, 'Yako," he said tone reflecting his warmth, their movie and pizza forgotten. They were having a simple date night, with a recent movie about aliens playing in the background and toasty boxes of pizza on their laps. The garage was quiet except for the sounds coming from their soft conversation and the movie showing, the space relaxed and radiating peace. Sounds from the cafe were dimmed, being drowned out by their own little bubble of privacy that nobody was privy to except for the both of them.

He wiped his hands on a napkin that came from the pizza shop and pondered for a moment.

"Two weeks, though."

"I know," she sighed. "I know it's a bit long, but that's my break and coupled with the fact that I need inspiration, it would be perfect."

"Just don't miss me too much," he teased, making her realize what he had been pondering on in the first place.

She gasped, immediately looking bashful. "Aw, I will miss you, you know that."

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad," he admitted. "It's just that it's a really long time. What about your scholarship work?"

"I'll complete it there," she reasoned. "And I'll call you every single day. That is, if you're cool with the clinginess."

He rolled his eyes. "In what world would I tire of your adorableness? Of course I wouldn't mind."

Ayako playfully shoved his shoulder, earning an indignant, "hey!"

"I'm going to die from your dorkiness one day," she said, and he chuckled at that.

"'Death by a nerd's ramblings' sounds pretty nice," he teased.

"I would much prefer 'death by my hot nerdy boyfriend's kiss' than that."

Ayako kissed him then, heart melting at the warmth that he exuded, knowing that the moment the plane left San Fransokyo's soil, her mind would be stuck on this moment; on the taste of tomatoes and oregano on his lips, the feel of his sturdy body pressing into hers and the reassurance of his firm mouth. Her heart thrummed and her breathing turned ragged, head spinning from the emotions that his kiss was evoking; love, endearment, longing at the thought of leaving him, and – she wasn't going to deny it – lust.

She broke the kiss with a giggle, taking a deep breath.

His eyelids pried open, lazy smirk in place. "What's so funny?"

"You taste like oregano," she admitted in a whisper.

"You wanna know something?"

"Hmm?"

"I only kissed you back cause you tasted like that last slice of pepperoni pizza I wanted."

She smacked his shoulder at that and the two of them dissolved into quiet laughter.

~~O~~O~~

A week passed in a blink of an eye, Ayako having prepared her suitcase three days earlier in anticipation of today. All her assignments had been completed and sent, the only thing left to do now was to tell her dad, the conversation between her and Mikhail brief.

"I'm so glad your mother finally agreed," Mikhail said, voice grainy over the phone due to the distance.

"Me too," she admitted, "guess I have to repay her back soon."

"I'll do that, no worries," her father said. "After all, it was my idea for you to visit and it would be unfair if I didn't pay my share for your plane ticket."

"Dad, you don't have to, you'll already be taking care of me in Russia," she added hastily.

Mikhail snorted. "Please. I want to."

She couldn't argue with him, agreeing with a defeated sigh.

"You'll love it here," her father promised. "There's an art supply shop down the street where we can get acrylic painting for a reasonable price and there's a cafe next to it that serves the best vanilla latte I have ever tasted."

Ayako chuckled, already envisioning it. "That sounds amazing. I can't wait to see you again, dad."

"Me too, Ayako, me too."

And now she was really about to leave. She did a mental list of any items that she may have missed and was satisfied to find that everything was all set. A rap on her door caught her attention and she looked up to find her mother waiting.

"Ready?"

She nodded, hefting up her suitcase and hiking her carry-on backpack onto one shoulder. "Yup."

~~O~~O~~

With her bags checked in and waiting for the airline gates to be open, Ayako had nothing else to do but use the airport's free Wi-Fi and wait for the announcement that said it was clear to enter the gate.

Her mother was beside her, wanting to see her off, nose buried in a magazine that she had purchased, silent except for the riffling of the pages.

A text chimed in through her phone from Mike who wished her a good trip and that he was sorry he couldn't see her off. She chuckled and texted a quick reply, Masaki tapping on her shoulder and stealing her attention.

"Hang on, mom, I'm texting Mike."

"Why would you when he's right there?"

She looked up, mystified, and found her group of friends walking towards her, Mike whisper-yelling, "surprise!"

Ayako gasped and stood up, walking over towards them. Everyone was there and the smile that threatened to burst from her face was wide with astonished happiness. "Guys! I didn't know you'd be coming."

"You didn't think we'd leave without saying goodbye, did you?" Lucy said and gave her shoulder a squeeze. The tall red head punched her arm when she didn't answer, much to Keiro's snickers.

"I hope you don't get lost there, you still owe me a meal at Mega Burger," Miko reminded and Ayako laughed, shaking her head.

"Don't worry, I won't."

Lucy turned around and waved towards Ayako's mother who waved back at her good friend.

"Going on your own?" she asked.

"Yeah, mom said that she only had enough for one person." Her voice went quiet at that and she felt that overwhelming sense of gratitude crash into her again. Someday, she was going to repay her mother, that much she could promise.

"Aw, that's sweet," Lucy said and Mike nodded.

"Yeah 'Yako, you're going to see your dad again," he reminded and she smiled at that, the excitement churning in her gut.

"I can't wait for that."

Lucy peered over her shoulder and her mouth opened up in a gasp. "Don't look now, but hot boyfriend with what must be his group of friends are walking over."

"Aw Lucy, you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend," Ayako teased much to her friend's amusement.

"I was talking about yours, pancake head."

She turned around and sure enough, the whole nerd team was there, Fred waving at her enthusiastically.

"W-What is everyone doing here?" She was surprised that this much people were willing to come and see her off to Russia. It made her feel like laughing in pure joy and crying all at the same time.

Tadashi was the first to reach her as he grasped her hand.

"I thought you said you weren't c-coming," she stammered.

He winked. "That was a diversion to get you not to notice. And it worked."

Mike guffawed. "That was the same trick I used on her, too."

The two young men looked at each other, flicker of recognition lighting.

"Hey, you're her project partner that I mistook for her boyfriend once."

"Ah yes, the instant boyfriend." Mike smirked. "I remember you. Glad to know that 'Yako has someone reliable taking care of her and who's willing to be her boyfriend under pressure."

He shrugged. "What can I say? I work best in difficult moments.

"Great, now everyone's here," GoGo said as she eyed Miko, the other girl staring at her in interest. "Nice hair," she said, referring to Miko's blue streaked hair, matching GoGo's purple one.

Miko nodded, smirking. "Likewise."

Ayako did a quick round of introduction, and her two groups of friends exchanged greetings.

Her mother stood up from her seat in the coffee shop where they had been waiting and walked over. Ayako quickly introduced the nerd team to her mother, accidentally stuttering on Tadashi's name when it came to his turn.

Hiro, who had remained silent, coughed loudly, mixing in a word that sounded a lot like, "boyfriend."

Masaki lifted a brow, appraising the suddenly bashful young man before her. Something about him reminded her a lot of Mikhail, and she reasoned that it must be the light build as Ayako's father was similar in that aspect. What would she know; children tended to gravitate towards partners that reminded them of their opposite sex parents.

"So, you're the boyfriend that I've heard about," she said, and even though her mother was far shorter than Tadashi, it seemed as if she towered over the young man what with her stoic stature and commanding presence. A presence that unfortunately, Ayako had not inherited.

Wasabi coughed behind his hand, muttering a quiet, "Ruh-roh."

"Y-Yes, I am," he said, sticking out his hand. "Tadashi Hamada, ma'am. I-I mean Miss, if that's what you like being called."

Her mother paused for a moment and Ayako desperately hoped that she wouldn't start judging him here and now. To her immense relief, Masaki shook his hand.

"You can call me Miss Ito if you would like."

"Or mom," Hiro muttered under his breath, earning a dirty glare from both Ayako and Tadashi who knew that he wasn't making this situation any easier.

Ayako hadn't pictured introducing her boyfriend this way, assuming that she would do this over dinner where Masaki was more comfortable with the idea of her daughter dating someone. But now that the cat was out of the bag, she just rolled with it, knowing that if there were any issues to discuss, Masaki would find a way to tell her.

She just hoped that her mother wouldn't disapprove on Tadashi just because of the few incidents that happened these past few months. It wasn't his fault that she made a choice to throw herself into danger to keep him safe.

Her mother didn't seem too worried, but Ayako knew that she hadn't forgotten. She was merely bidding her time on when she could get Tadashi alone and question him on his intentions for her, wringing out an explanation as to why her daughter had nearly died twice in this year alone.

Ayako had no doubt about that.

"Flight SF 387 have already opened their gates. Passengers are advised to get their passports ready for boarding."

"That's my flight," Ayako informed and hiked her bag higher up her shoulder.

A chorus of, "goodbye Ayako!" could be heard and she reached out to Lucy, hugging her first.

She was about to hug them all goodbye when Honey brought out her phone and called them for a 'we-fie'.

Ayako's mom had offered to take the photo for them, but Honey told her it was okay. They posed and after a few clicks, they were done, nothing to hold her back from entering the gates. People were starting to stream in and Ayako patted her jeans pocket where her passport was, checking to see if it was still there. One couldn't be too cautious.

Her friends rushed her into a group hug and she did the same for the nerd team, pressed next to Tadashi who gently squeezed her waist as a silent goodbye. She knew that they had already said their goodbyes during the date night and with her mother standing right there, she couldn't exactly start kissing him.

So she did the next best thing and squeezed his hand, taking a few moments to look into his eyes.

"Take care," he whispered. "And remember, you said that we would keep our painting date. Don't forget that."

"I won't," she whispered back.

Turning around to her mother, she pulled her into a short hug, whispering, "thank you for this, again."

Her mother patted her shoulder and she felt her smile.

"Take care and listen to your father. He may be a deadbeat but he's always been a good caretaker." She ignored the snub on Mikhail and nodded.

Turning around, she gave everyone one last wave, wishing she had a camera to capture their expressions right now. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was a bigger part of things, like she mattered and it was surprising how a few minutes bidding goodbye to friends who cared to see her of could make her feel more valued than she ever did in her whole life. Except that time when she won an art competition and was awarded the best art student in her whole class.

Giving them one last wave, her gaze lingered on Tadashi who was wearing a soft smile, brown eyes gentle with unconcealed longing. She had no doubt that the same look was glimmering in her eyes.

Showing her passport, she was ushered in and turned around for the final time, waving for as long as she could until their faces disappeared from view. The waiting venue was crowded and after five minutes, they were announced into the plane.

Ayako was glad that she had a window seat all to herself, the only person beside her a friendly elderly woman who told her that this was her second time on a plane after her husband had died. She had nodded and smiled at the older woman, feeling the plane preparing for lift-off.

Bittersweet longing filled her chest at the sight of San Fransokyo disappearing from the her sight, the Red Bridge fronted with fluffy clouds the last thing she saw, glinting brightly in the morning sun. The sprawling city before her folded in like a closed book, showcasing the end of a chapter, making way for the bright blue sea promising the unknown and many new memories to come.

Maybe it wasn't the end. Maybe it was just the beginning.

 _I'll miss you all_ , she thought, mind latching onto the last image of Tadashi as her heart squeezed in silent yearning. She wished he could've come along with her, so she didn't suddenly feel all alone.

Russia beckoned, crystal clear as the sky outside the plane window.


End file.
